An Unconventional Proposal
by BareWriter
Summary: Castle and Beckett meet, but in completely difference circumstances. Although, with their personalities instantly clashing, what happens when they are forced to spend the next six weeks together? A/U
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

**Authors Note: So, for the sake of the plot Captain Montgomery is alive, as I believe he would probably be more supportive of certain events that take place in the story compared to Gates...**

* * *

Kate Beckett stood confidently in front of her murder board. It had been a tough case with little evidence, but she had finally figured it out. "He did it. He's our killer."

Reviewing the photo in front of them, Detective Ryan shot her a questioning glance. "The boyfriend? How can you be so sure?"

"All the pieces fit," she matter-of-factly stated. "And besides, he's the only one who could have done it."

"Yeah, but he has an alibi," he clarified. "We've been through this, Beckett. I agree that everything points to him, but he couldn't have been in two places at once."

"Yes, but even Esposito admitted it was shaky. He could have _easily_ slipped out of that party and killed his girlfriend. Everyone we spoke to said he was a bit of a loner who kept to himself, so maybe it was just that no one noticed he was missing."

Coming out of the break room with a coffee in hand, Detective Esposito strode toward them, joining in their conversation. "Right. But we don't have any proof, so we're going to need a confession."

"Exactly," Kate Beckett confidently agreed. It would be tough, admittedly, especially since she had no evidence to back her up. But she could do it.

Ryan however wasn't so convinced. "How are you going to get him in here without tipping him off? If he even _suspects_ that we are on to him, he will disappear for good. He's got the resources."

"I know," she agreed. She considered her options before continuing, "I'll say we need to review some of his details, and maybe want his help to identify a suspect. There's no way he wouldn't come in, since it would provide him with a prime opportunity to see where we're at in our investigation. I'll give him the impression that it's just a casual chat, get him to talk, and then eventually I will just guide a confession out of him."

Her plan was fool proof. Okay, well it isn't exactly fool proof, but she would make it work. She knew he was the one they were after, and there was no way she was going to let him get away with murder.

"Hmm, impressive," Ryan smiled, placing his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, well you can say that _after_ we've nailed him."

This was going to work.

* * *

"Mr. Healey, once again I'm sorry for your loss, but we appreciate you coming in to verify a few things."

Detective Beckett entered the small room, locking her gaze on Doug Healey, her murdered victim's boyfriend and killer. She was just yet to prove it.

"Yeah, not a problem. Any way I can help catch whoever hurt Rachel," he responded, rubbing his palms along his thighs.

"Right. So, just going over your statement, you claimed to be at a party at the time your girlfriend was killed. Is that correct?"

Trying to avert her steel gaze, Healey responded. "Um, yeah. It was a going away party for a guy who works in our building. He's travelling around Europe for twelve months, so everyone was invited to give him a bit of a farewell."

"And what time did you say the party was?"

"Ah, it went from about eight-thirty that night, to maybe one in the morning."

"Okay," she began. It was time to make him sweat. "And so, you were there the whole night then?"

"Yes, I was," he answered, before sensing her doubt. "Wait. What exactly are you suggesting, Detective?"

He was becoming agitated, Beckett could tell, but she wasn't about to pull away. She was the best Detective at the 12th because she was relentless and refused to back down. Now was no exception.

"What I'm suggesting Mr. Healey, is that you had motive, means and opportunity to kill Rachel."

"What? No. I would never hurt her! I loved her. Besides, I was at the party, you know that. I have plenty of witnesses who-"

Beckett knew she had him cornered and it was only a matter of time before he broke. She just had to push him a little bit further...

"_Witnesses_, Mr. Healey, who could have simply not noticed when you left the party at say around eleven, got in a cab and travelled to Rachel's apartment-"

"No, no you've got it all wrong-"

Raising her voice, she continued, "Where you used your key and made your way inside, grabbed a knife from the kitchen draw, and stabbed her, three times in the chest while she was sleeping. All before you returned to the party as if nothing happened."

"No. It wasn't me, I didn't do it. Besides, I had no reason to anyway!"

"Oh really? Well according to her sister Amy, Rachel was having an affair with a Mr. James Dardon. That name sound familiar?"

"No. I've never heard of him."

"Hmm, you should have, considering he's already provided us with a statement claiming to have witnessed you stalking them on several occasions."

"Well, he's a liar!" he spat out, before returning his fisted hands back to his lap.

He was shutting down and becoming defensive. Realising her plan wasn't working, Beckett softened her voice and took a different approach.

"It must have hurt, didn't it? Finding out that the woman you loved, the woman you had given everything to, cheated. And with _him?" _she questioned, pointing to the photo of James Dardon on the small table. "It must have made you angry. Want to teach them both a lesson."

"You're damn right it did," he muttered.

Yes. She was almost there.

"So, when you had the chance," she began, leaning towards him and her breath almost a whisper. "You killed her. Ending her life, and punishing that disrespectful dirt bag with it."

"Exactly," he spat.

She did it.

"Hmm. I believe that was just a confession," Kate Beckett proudly stated, standing up from the couch.

"What? No, no I can't go to jail. I- I won't survive," he stammered, also getting to his feet.

Feeling for her handcuffs, Beckett began to walk towards him. "Doug Healey, you are under arrest for the murder of Rachel Simpson. Anything you say or do-"

Doug looked around nervously, and apparently deciding that there was no other option left, he made a break for the door.

"Hey!" Beckett shouted, quickly following in his footsteps.

Sprinting out of the interview room, he dodged the unsuspecting officers and headed for the stairwell.

"Mr. Healey, come back here! Somebody stop him!" Beckett shouted, while giving chase.

Sitting at his desk, Esposito witnessed the events take place. "Yo, bro, isn't that our suspect?" he questioned, turning to his partner.

"Ah-" Ryan began, before he looked up to find Beckett giving chase.

"Guys, head down the other exit and try to cut him off," she instructed, passing her confused colleagues.

"Got it. Let's go!" they chorused, snapping out of their trance before joining the pursuit.

Flying down the stairs, Beckett followed Doug Healey all the way to the ground floor. He was fast, she'd give him that, but so was she, and she needed to make up ground. Quickly.

"Mr. Healey!" she yelled.

Leaping off the last step, she looked up just in time to witness him push open the door to the 12th and make his way into the sea of pedestrians. Darn. It was going to be a lot harder to give chase now, but there was no way she was giving up.

Exiting to the streets of wintery New York, Beckett pushed the pedestrians to the side. "NYPD! Clear the sidewalk! Move out of the way!"

Hearing her warning, the crowds began to part, giving her a clear view of Doug Healey. Gritting her teeth together, she willed her legs to move faster and increased her speed. Not wanting to take any chances however, she co-ordinately pulled her phone out of her pocket and hit speed dial.

"Espo, yeah, I've almost got him. He's heading north on-"

Before she could finish however, she collided with a solid object, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Oomph!"

"Argh, my wrist!"

* * *

"Rick, _Storm Clearing_ comes out it a month and a half, so we need to create some publicity before the launch."

"Yes, I understand that, but dinner with these Bimbos? Really, Paula? I mean, it's simply wrong the amount of information I know about beauty products and the latest cosmetic surgeons," he complained into his cell. "No man on this planet should have to sit through that. Isn't there another way that I can gain some attention without going on these pointless dates? Oh, I know, maybe I could propel down a building dressed as Derek Storm, or I could always steal another police horse. That was fun," he smiled, playing with his scarf to shield his neck from the icy wind.

"No, Rick. Nothing illegal," Paula sighed on the other end of the line. "Come on Ricky, you've got no choice. With a new book due out you know better than anyone the importance of this. The more publicity, the more interest you receive. The more interest you receive, the-"

"More people buy my books," he finished. "I get it, I do. I guess I'm just sick of it. I mean, they're all the same. '_Oh, Mr. Castle, I love you.' 'Where do you get your ideas from?'_" he mocked with a high pitched tone. Clearing his throat, he reflected. "I think I want something different, or at least someone a bit more realistic than the Barbies you keep setting me up with," he grumbled.

"Listen, snap out of it and I will come meet you so we can talk. Where are you now?"

"Uh, I'm not really sure. I went for a walk and I've kind of just kept going. Hold on."

Looking around for a street sign or any identifiable buildings, he stopped.

"Oh, I'm near a Police Station. It's the- ah, it says it's the 12th Precinct."

"Right, well you wait outside and I will be there in five."

"Fine. Bye."

Hanging up, he abruptly turned around to make his way to the other side of the sidewalk, when he was bowled over.

"Oomph!"

"Argh, my wrist!" he cried, while lying on the floor in a tangle of limbs.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? I told you to clear the sidewalk!" he heard someone yell.

Holding his throbbing wrist, he looked up to find a woman with long, brunette hair picking up what must have been her cell, and getting to her feet.

"Espo, you still there? No, I just ran into someone, so I lost him. Send patrols out in the neighbouring streets and also park a few out at his place. He can't have gotten far. Okay, thanks. Keep me posted."

Standing up, he began to dust himself off, when the mystery woman turned around. Wow. He'd admit it, she was gorgeous, but no amount of beauty could mask the pain that was throbbing in his hand. He was already having a bad day and here she was making it worse.

"What is your problem?" he yelled. "Do you go around spear tackling unassuming pedestrians to the ground on a daily basis?"

"Spear tackling? I'm Detective Kate Beckett with the NYPD. I was chasing down a criminal when you _insolently_ stepped right in front of me! Do you think next time you could maybe look _before_ you walk?" Kate argued defiantly, showing him her badge.

Seriously? Who did she think she was? "Jeez. That makes me feel a whole lot better knowing that an officer of the law, someone whose job it is to protect citizens like me, is the one who put me in danger!"

"You want to talk about danger? Well thanks to you, a murderer has just run loose!"

"Well thanks to_ you_, I now have a broken wrist."

"If you stop thinking about yourself for two seconds, I'm sure you would realise that the level of importance between the two is highly marginalised," she huffed, making her way back towards the old building.

"Yeah, you've got that right. I'm a writer and this wrist here is worth millions! What if I can never write again? My career would be over. What would I possibly do?"

Turning around and crowding in his personal space, she continued. "I know exactly who you are Mr. Castle and it's not broken. See, just a sprain," she informed, while moving his hand in small circles.

"Hey! Ouch!"

"Now if you don't mind, I've got to get back to the Precinct and figure out how to track down my killer," she sighed frustrated, dropping his hand.

Oh, this woman! She was like hard candy but with legs, and no sweetness whatsoever. Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best analogy he's come up with, but there was no way he was letting her get away with this! "_Just_ a sprain? This could put me out of action for months!"

"I'm sure you'll survive," she continued.

"Yeah, I might, but what about my daughter. I mean, how am I meant to put food on the table now that I'm handicapped? And what about college? That's expensive you know! I could sue!"

Feeling the need to shut him up, Beckett turned around. "Fine. I'll let you come inside the Precinct and grab some ice then," she unsympathetically stated, locking her eyes with his.

"No, there's no way I'm going in there. There's probably more of you. I bet it's a breeding ground for spear tackling super-cops. My other wrist, the uninjured one that is, would feel a lot safer to stay right out here, thanks very much."

"Fine. Suit yourself," she muttered. She was tired and didn't have the time or energy to argue.

Looking down at his wrist, Rick considered his options. As much as he didn't want to spend any more time with this woman, ice _would_ reduce the swelling. Besides, he had to wait for Paula anyway, and it was sure to be a lot warmer in there then out here.

"Wait..." he called, before shuffling his way to her.

* * *

"Hey, Paula. No, I'm inside the Precinct. No, I'm not under arrest. Just come meet me, fourth floor. Homicide," he informed, before placing his cell back in his pocket.

"Here, now take this and keep it on your wrist," Kate instructed, handing Rick an icepack from the break room.

"Oh-ah cold!" he complained, resting it on his injury.

"You can sit here and then when you're done, you can go," she informed, directing him to the chair that sat in the corner of the break room.

Out of all the people roaming the streets of New York, all the people that she could have collided with, she ran into him. Seriously, what were the chances of literally bumping into your favourite author? Not that she would ever tell him that.

She purely read his books for the stories, not the man behind them, and she refused to let herself fawn over him like all the other women in the city seemed to. After all, she had heard the gossip, and it was men like him whom she despised; men who valued bra size over brain cells. And here he was, complaining about a sore wrist despite the more serious matter at hand. Unbelievable.

Making her way to her desk, Beckett was intercepted by Montgomery. "So, what do we have here, Detective?" he questioned, directing his gaze to Rick, who was playing with the ice pack.

"That would be Richard Castle Sir. Celebrity author and playboy extraordinaire," she described, allowing her distaste to come through her tone.

"You don't sound like much of a fan. So, what's he doing here?" he questioned, seemingly amused with the situation.

"_He_ is the reason why Healey escaped."

"Uh huh," Montgomery encouraged.

Feeling the need to elaborate, Beckett continued. "Okay, look, I ran into him, but he was in my way. We fell and he hurt his wrist, so I said he could grab some ice."

"That's very thoughtful of you," Montgomery noted, smiling at Beckett.

"Yeah well, the only reason I offered was to shut him up. Don't worry, he will be gone so-"

Beckett was cut off as a loud screeching sound pierced through the building. Looking over at the source, she locked eyes with the irritant himself. Richard Castle was sliding his chair from the break room along the floor and coming towards her, seemingly ignoring the fact that he just disturbed the whole homicide department.

"What are you doing?" she questioned, as he eventually placed the chair next to her desk.

"I got lonely in there. Besides, my publicist should be here any minute now, so I need to be able to look out for her. Speaking of..."

"Ricky!" Paula announced as she stepped off the elevator. "What's going on? What happened to your hand?" she questioned, noticing the ice pack he was holding.

"Well, this officer over here, decided to go all Hulk on me and thought I needed a close up inspection of the sidewalk," he described, pointing to Beckett. "I sprained my wrist trying to break my fall."

Flashing him a cold look, Kate could do nothing but stand there with her mouth agape in shock. The audacity of this man was astonishing!

"You what? This is a PR disaster. Rick, your book is on the verge of release and you're already refusing to do the publicity I'm proposing!" Paula yelled. "Now you won't be able to sign autographs, let alone write for weeks! And with your new deadline coming up..."

Pausing to process all the information, Paula turned to Kate. "You're going to pay for this, Detective. We are going to sue you and the NYPD for everything. Not to mention all the negative press you will personally receive for injuring New York's favourite author."

Sensing the need to control the situation, Montgomery interjected. "Whoa. Now I assure you that isn't necessary-"

"Excuse me!" Kate cut off, stepping in front of the publicist. "How do you think_ Ricky_ here, will cope once I tell the press that that he is the sole cause for a wanted murder being on the loose? I don't think he would be so well loved then," she finished, before noticing the author snooping through her draws. "Do you mind not going through my desk?" she snarled.

Focusing back to the facts at hand, Beckett continued. "Besides, who cares if he can no longer sign women's chests. It is a slightly less important matter."

"Yeah, well I'm sure all the now bare chests out there would say otherwise," Castle mumbled under his breath, disappointedly shutting her draws.

Grrr! What was his problem? Did he have no sense of justice or morals whatsoever? He just let a killer free and all he could think about was boobs. "Oh, you-"

"Okay, enough of that. It's clear here that we will need to come to some sort of an agreement," Montgomery interrupted.

Apparently considering her options, Paula spoke. "Alright, how about this; Richard, you are going to apologise to the detective here for your role in letting that criminal free."

"Fine, I'm sorry," Rick said, crossing his arms and refusing to look Kate in the eye.

"Wow, real mature," Kate stated, clearly unimpressed by his lack of sincerity.

"And you can also give a large donation to the NYPD for interfering with their police business," Paula concluded.

"But I didn't-" Rick began.

"No. It's good for your image and that should settle your end, right, Captain?"

Turning away from a clearly frustrated Beckett, Montgomery looked at Rick. "On behalf of the NYPD, I would like to thank you, Mr. Castle, for your truly selfless generosity."

Unable to see the fairness of the situation, Rick stood. "What about her? What's she going to do to apologise to me?" he questioned, looking over at Beckett.

With a smile plastered on her face, Paula turned to Kate. "Well, I have a proposal of sorts. In return, you Detective can offer your personal services."

How could she possibly offer any services valuable to him? "Personal services how, exactly?" Kate queried, unsure of where this was headed.

"Well, you see, Rick here is in need of someone to go on dates with to gain some publicity before his upcoming book release-"

"Oh no-" Kate began, rapidly trying to form a sentence. Any sentence.

"Paula, there is no way-" Rick pleaded.

"Unless you want me to give one of the other women I've suggested a call?"

"But Paula I-"

"Look Rick, it's perfect. You need to be seen by the press going out on dates, and so far you've dismissed everyone I've suggested. You were just saying how you wanted someone real, and how much more real can you get then a homicide detective? All you have to do is go out on a few dates and spend a bit of time with each other, take her to your book launch party and then you will be done. Come on now, it will only be six weeks, not forever."

Coming to some sort of an epiphany, Paula's eyes lit up. "Ooh, murder mystery novelist dates homicide detective. This is literally a match made in tabloid heaven. The press are going to love this!" she said excitedly, looking over at the horrified author.

Kate had only spent a total of fifteen minutes with the man and he was already driving her crazy. There was no way she could endure a month and a half going out on dates with him.

Luckily, Montgomery would never agree to such absurdity.

"Deal," the Captain interceded, holding out his hand to shake with the publicist.

"What? Captain, you can't be serious." This could not be happening.

"Excellent. Okay, well I need to make a few calls, but you two exchange details and Ricky, I will meet you outside," Paula informed, going through her cell phone.

Apparently finding his voice only now, Rick scrambled to rectify the situation. "Paula, surely there's another solution. I mean, come on, there's no way I will survive going on dates with her," he pleaded, giving the detective a disapproving look.

"_You_ won't survive? What about me? How am I going to survive?" Kate defensively asked.

"Well, I guess you're going to have to have to figure it out, cause you two are now New York's favourite couple," Paula smiled, before making her way to the elevator.

Pulling Montgomery aside and away from Castle, Beckett pleaded her case. "Sir, there is no way you're actually going to make me do this!"

"Come on, Beckett. It's harmless. The NYPD receives a generous donation, you save yourself from some bad press, and all you have to do is go on a few dates and smile for the cameras. Besides, from what you told me _you_ were the one who ran into _him._"

Well, that was true, but completely beside the point. "Sir, I really don't have time to go gallivanting around with some cocky, half assed celebrity."

"You would if you only worked the hours you were supposed to, instead of sitting around here twenty-four seven." Catching her confused expression, he began to explain. "Look, you're one of my best Beckett, and it's not that I don't appreciate all the work you do, but even you need a little bit of fun in your life. Besides, how bad could he be?"

Attempting to come up with the words, Kate's thoughts were paused as she caught sight of the author. There he was, sitting in the chair with his sprained wrist efficiently cuffed to her desk. Apparently, he found her spare handcuffs.

"Uh, a little help?" Rick helplessly pleaded, tugging on his wrist.

Kate turned back to a now smiling Montgomery, before she rolled her eyes and walked off with a huff.

"I need some caffeine," she angrily mumbled, leaving a trapped Richard Castle and amused Captain in her wake.

* * *

**So to any readers out there I would like to thank you for taking your time to read my story and I hope you've enjoyed it. I'm new to fan fiction so I would really appreciate any responses as to whether I should continue or even any feedback or advice in general. Thank you!**

**BareWriter**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All t****hese characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

* * *

It had been a little over thirty-six hours since Rick had met Detective Kate Beckett. It had also been for a little over thirty-six hours that he had subsequently been in a bad mood.

Home by himself, he was playing his Xbox in his Batman underwear, immersed in his own self pity. This was stupid. Paula was stupid. Heck, everything was stupid.

Hearing a key being placed in the front door, he considered putting some clothes on, but figured whoever it was who was could simply deal with it. Yes, Richard Castle was sulking and no one was going to ruin it.

"Hey Dad," Alexis called, entering the loft and placing her bags near the stairs.

Sitting up a little straighter, Rick turned his head in attempt to spot his daughter. "Hi, Sweetie. Did you have a good time with Lauren and her family?"

Alexis walked towards him, slightly confused by his state of undress. "Yeah, it was great. Uh, writers block again?"

"No," Rick huffed, returning to his horizontal position and Xbox game.

"Well, what's wrong then?" she questioned, titling her head to the side.

"What's wrong?" he laughed sarcastically. "Detective Kate Beckett, that's what's wrong," he informed her, all seriousness returning to his voice.

"Detective Who? And what happened to your wrist?" she worriedly asked, eyeing his bandaged limb.

"I sprained it."

Glaring at him disapprovingly, "Dad, if you injured your wrist, are you sure playing video games is such a good idea?"

"I'm fine." That was a lie.

"You're clearly not fine," she stated, gesturing to the sight before her. "Please, don't tell me you got in trouble again."

"No. Well, not exactly. I just can't believe Paula would do this to me. I mean,_ I_ employ _her_. I should be the one bossing people around!" he frowned.

"What does Paula have to do with any of this?"

Realising the need to provide an explanation, Rick sucked in a breath. "I guess you could say I had a slight, misunderstanding, with the NYPD the other day." Noticing his daughter's alarmed face, he held up his hands. "Nothing illegal, I promise, but in order to make everyone 'happy', Paula organised a ridiculous arrangement," he scoffed, pausing briefly to cross his arms. "She's making Detective Beckett pretend to be my girlfriend until the book launch party. Apparently to increase the chance of publicity for _Storm Clearing_," he sneered, tossing his control to the side.

"Right, publicity," Alexis responded, unbelieving of his explanation. Seriously, since when did he turn down a date?

"Oh, trust me. It is purely for publicity purposes."

"So you genuinely don't want to date her?" she queried, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yes," strongly nodding his head, "However, I prefer not to use the term _date_. I like to look at it more as being forced to spend time with an unlikable acquaintance against my will," he finished with a grumble.

Taking time to absorb all the information, Alexis shrugged. "Well, I don't know what you're complaining about. I mean, you're always going on about the women Paula normally sets you up with, and now she gives you someone different, and you're still not pleased."

"You're damn right I'm not pleased," he glared. "You could make me a chocolate and marshmallow smorlette right now and I would still be unhappy." Okay, it might have made him feel a little bit better, but he would still be _extremely_ miserable.

"Is she pretty?" Alexis questioned, going for a different approach.

"Ye-wait, that's not the point," he recovered, sensing his daughter's tactics. "Kate Beckett is by far the most controlling, unpleasant, hardnosed woman I have ever met in my life. And now thanks to Paula, I have to suffer through the next six weeks pretending to like her."

"Oh, come on, Dad. She can't possibly be that terrible."

"No, you're right. She's worse."

Displeased with his bad mood, Alexis attempted to sway his judgement. "Maybe you shouldn't get too ahead of yourself." Seeming to consider her next words, she paused before continuing. "Do you remember that time when you insisted on bringing home that bird you found with the injured wing?"

"Oh, are you talking about Sir Flaps-So-Not?" Rick replied, searching through his memory.

"Yeah."

"He was a good bird," he thoughtfully reflected, Kate Beckett momentarily forgotten.

"You got so over eager about nursing him back to health, you went and bought him all that stuff."

"Hey, that was very nice of me!"

"Yeah, but when he died two days later, we were stuck with a box full of bird toys and ten pounds of bird seed."

He had to admit, that was a lot of bird seed. "Well, my actions seemed perfectly rational at the time."

"That's exactly my point. Maybe you should try not to rush into a decision, or in this case an opinion. Just take this whole thing one day at a time, like you should have done with Sir Flaps-So-Not. You never know what could happen, especially if you're going to be spending _all_ this time together," Alexis hinted with a grin.

"Yeah right," he scoffed. "Trust me when I say that there is absolutely no chance that this will turn out to be anything more than a business deal."

"Well, when are you seeing her next?" she curiously asked.

"At two o'clock."

"Today?" she gasped. "Dad, that's in half an hour! What are you still doing lazing around in your underwear?"

Looking down at his bare chest, Rick was unfazed. "I'm not going."

"Dad! You can't stand her up! Not if she's expecting you!" Alexis argued, stepping closer towards her father.

"I don't care. I'm not going out of my way to spend time with a woman I don't even like. You know I was handcuffed to her desk and she left to go chase a lead. She just left me! What kind of normal person does that?" Noticing her questioning look, Rick continued, "Okay, so I handcuffed myself, but it was a complete accident. Walking off on me like that was purely cruel. I was lucky the Captain took pity on me and unlocked me. I could have starved!"

Stepping in front of the TV screen, Alexis took control. "Dad, get up and go get dressed. If you survived being married to both Mom and Gina, I'm sure you can survive six weeks with this Detective."

Okay, she had a point.

"Seriously, it doesn't sound like you have much of a choice," she continued. "If she really is as terrible as you keep describing, then the best you can do is go on these dates and get them over and done with. Hopefully, it will all be finished before you know it."

Realising he had little option, Rick regrettably agreed. "Fine, I will do it. But fair warning, if I start to turn into a cold-hearted ice maiden, don't complain to me," he huffed, slowly getting up.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure of it," Alexis noted, as Rick disappeared into his bedroom.

* * *

Sitting at her desk with her nose in the latest case file, Beckett was trying to keep busy. Looking up briefly, she caught sight of Esposito, striding towards her with a smirk on his face. Great. She refused to inform anyone about Richard Castle and all the events that took place, but clearly, their Captain had been talking.

Rolling her eyes for what she knew was coming, she returned to her reading.

"So..." Esposito began, as he stepped closer towards her. "I just had a _real_ interesting chat with Montgomery."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she hastily replied, aiming to display disinterest.

"Well, he so kindly filled Ryan and me in on your little arrangement with a certain celebrity author," he continued, amused by her reaction.

"Did he now?" she answered dryly.

Esposito grinned, "Mmm-hmm, and we hear that you're going to be getting nice up-close and personal with him in the next few weeks."

That would be right. Captain Montgomery was probably having a field day with this. He had been pushing her to take some time off work for years, and now he finally got what he wanted.

Shaking her head, Beckett attempted to keep her steel gaze on the words in front of her.

Noticing her discomfort, Esposito continued, "Hey, relax. Look, Montgomery only told us because we are going to be covering a few of your shifts for you. No one else knows, so you've got nothing to worry about."

"Are you kidding me?" she snapped, placing the folder on her desk. "After today everyone in New York City is going to know!"

"What? You're seeing him today?"

"Supposedly," she murmured. "He's meant to pick me up soon, but hopefully he won't even show."

"Ah, well I guess it's not your lucky day then," Ryan informed cautiously, heading towards his fellow detectives.

"What do you mean?" Beckett winced, afraid of his answer.

"Jefferson just returned from downstairs and according to him, your boy is already here."

"He's not my boy," she clarified, rubbing her eyes with her palms.

"Where is he then?" Esposito queried to Ryan.

"Ah, apparently he's on his way up, but he's just getting a few pictures taken first," Ryan informed, letting his gaze drift to Beckett.

"Why does that not surprise me?" she huffed under her breath.

Hearing the elevator ring, she looked over to see a smug looking Richard Castle walking in her direction.

"I'm Detective Esposito, and this is Detective Ryan," Esposito acknowledged, heading towards the author. "And since you are now friends with Beckett, you're friends with us. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Watching the charade play out in front of her, Beckett could do nothing but scoff at the amusement her colleagues saw in the situation.

"Hey, I'm Rick. I must say, it's actually quite refreshing meeting such friendly and respectful police officers," he said, using his left hand to handshake the two men. Giving a dry laugh he continued, "I mean, after meeting Kate over there in all her glory, I was starting to believe _all_ detectives were cranky and uncompassionate. It's good to be proven wrong for once."

That cocky, smug, son of a-

"Nah, Beckett's not bad," Esposito defended.

"Yeah, she's just...committed to her job," Ryan finished.

"Sorry I'm a bit late," Rick began, finally making eye contact with her. "There was a rabid mob of adorning fans who wanted some personal time with their hero. I couldn't really say no," he joked, waving his hand in the air.

Adorning fans? Could his ego get any bigger?

"Sure," she responded, refusing to give him any more attention than he deserved.

"My, aren't we a pocket full of sunshine today?" sarcasm seeping through his tone.

Hearing Ryan and Esposito chuckle between themselves, Beckett looked up and gave them a disapproving glare.

"Anyway, I'm here now," Rick continued, "And my daughter is of the opinion that the sooner we do this, the sooner it will be over. So, are you ready to go?"

"Well, I guess we can only hope. Where are we going, Castle?"

"Castle?" he questioned.

"It's a cop thing, bro. Better get used to it," Esposito intercepted.

"Huh," he sighed, seeming to contemplate his new nickname. "Well, Paula has called in an 'anonymous tip,' informing the press that my new love interest and I are going for a romantic stroll through Central Park."

"Cute," Ryan smiled.

Why were they still standing there?

"Romantic stroll. Through Central Park," she repeated. "You've got to be kidding me?"

"Her words, not mine. Don't worry, I feel the exact same way as you do. Paula is of the assumption that for the best effect, we make this look as real and personal as possible. That means going for walks, heading to cafes, dropping by to each other's places, you know, basic couple stuff, rather than the more flamboyant scenes. We would literally be dangling the relationship carrot out in front of the press so to speak, allowing the attention to draw out all the way to my book launch. Then, about a week or so before the big event, we will go out for dinner to an exclusive restaurant, giving the press exactly what they want and we will be the headline of page six right in time for my party. I hate to admit it, but it's kind of a genius plan."

Okay, she wasn't expecting that. She was certain she was going to be dragged all over town to five star restaurants and attend flashy galas. At least that way they would be surrounded by the company of others. She definitely didn't consider actually having to be alone with him.

"I hate you," she stated.

"Good, cause I hate you too. I mean, you don't even want to know what I have been doing this past day and a half in attempt to get over my misery," he jokingly chuckled with a sigh.

Attempting to come up with some sort of logical excuse, Kate scoured her brain. "This is ridiculous. She's _your_ publicist. Can't you do something?"

"Believe me. If there was any way of getting out of this I would have done it already. When Paula gets an idea in her mind she's like a steam train, and there is no way of stopping her. So, can we go now? I have things to do," he informed, snapping his fingers.

Looking over at Ryan and Esposito, they offered little help.

"Do you want us to go get Montgomery? I'm sure he would have plenty to say," Ryan teasingly questioned.

Looking at the three men awaiting her response, Beckett let out a sigh, before standing from her chair. "Let me grab my coat," she huffed.

* * *

He tried to be optimistic, he really did, but she was purely one of a kind. They had been walking for a total of twenty minutes and so far they hadn't spoken a word to each other.

Looking over at her face, he attempted to decipher her hard exterior. Find a hint of a smile, a speckle of happiness, a smidgen of-

"What are you doing, Castle?" Kate questioned, apparently noticing his stare through her peripheral vision.

Narrowing his eyes and pursing his lips, he paused in thought before responding. "I'm trying to imagine you with a personality. I must admit though, I'm really struggling." It was impossible.

Coming to a halt, she drew her eyebrows together in a stern frown. "Are you always like this?"

"Like what?" he responded, stopping next to her. "Ruggedly handsome, enchanting, irresistible-?"

"Like a completely shallow, pretentious, jackass!" she snapped, angrily walking off.

Okay, not where he thought that was going. "You know, that insult was completely unnecessary," he reflected, rejoining her in stride.

"No, it was very necessary actually."

Whilst researching for his books, he had come across many types in his time. Never, had he met someone quite like her. It seriously wouldn't surprise him if she ate small children for breakfast.

"Man, you are such a grouch. Why are you so angry all of the time?" he queried.

"I'm not angry. I'm just...frustrated," she grumbled.

"Sexually?"

"No!"

"It's okay. I mean, it's no surprise. You don't _exactly_ scream people person," he sarcastically continued.

Whipping her head around in his direction, she gave him a scalding look. "I'm not sexually frustrated, Castle!" she yelled, grabbing the attention of the people passing by and feeling the heat rise to her cheeks.

"Jeez, do you think you could shout that any louder?" he whispered under his breath, catching sight of all the couples now staring at them. "You can't go yelling that stuff around. People may get the wrong idea about..." He paused, before averting his eyes downwards, "You know, Big Rick. You're my fake girlfriend, so you're going to have to behave accordingly."

Attempting to hide her embarrassment, she shot him a look of disgust and continued walking.

"Look, if we are being forced to act out this whole fake relationship thing, the least we can do is to do it properly," he stated, hurriedly trying to keep up with her pace.

She turned towards him, and noticing her questioning glance, he caught on to her apparent interpretation. "Oh, gosh no, I don't mean PDA or anything. I simply mean looking like we at least tolerate each other, you know, have a conversation. Imagine if we went through with all of this and it was all a waste because the only stories _they_," glancing towards the men in the distance with cameras, "could publish, were about our obvious dislike for each other."

Not wanting to suffer through this charade for nothing, Kate answered. "Fine, you want to talk, go ahead."

Talk. Okay, they could do this. It was a basic form of human communication. It couldn't be that hard, right?

Coming up with the best he could, he finally spoke. "So, you're a cop, huh?"

"Whoa, nice work, Einstein. What gave me away? Was it that I solved murders for a living or that my badge has 'NYPD' written on it?" she mocked, stuffing her hands in her coat pockets.

Okay, so maybe it was going to be harder than he thought. "No need to be snarky. I was only asking a question."

"Well it was a stupid question."

She was probably just still angry about her embarrassment earlier.

"Have you ever shot anybody?"

"Yes."

"That is so cool!" he admitted, before noticing her disapproving look, "In a really sad, unfortunate way of course."

Okay, come on Rick, next question.

"Have you ever been out of the city?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever been to a concert?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever smiled?"

"Ye- Castle," she warned.

He really couldn't help himself. "I don't believe you."

"I don't care," she responded, refusing to look at him.

"Well, I do. Prove it," he dared.

"I am not going to smile just because you want me to."

Challenge accepted. "Oh yes you are. Knock-knock," he began.

"Castle," she cautioned.

"I believe the more appropriate response is, 'Who's there?'"

"I'm not playing."

"Come on, it's easy. Let's try again. Knock-knock."

"Seriously!" she shouted, stopping in her tracks. "Do they ever shut up on your planet?"

Pausing to compose herself, Kate looked at her watch. "Look, it's getting late. I'm sure we've been walking long enough for the press to get what they want," she sighed, rubbing her palm over her forehead. "I'm going home."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Look, Paula reckons that for our next_ meeting, _you should come to my house."

Raising her eyebrows in horror, Kate prepared to protest.

"Don't look at me like that!" Rick quickly argued. "I'm not happy about it either, but the best part is that you only have to be seen entering and leaving my apartment building. Once inside, we don't even have to be in the same room as each other."

Digesting his words, Kate shook her head. "Fine," she responded sarcastically, walking off on him.

"So, I guess I will just text you my address then!" he yelled, watching her disappear in the New York crowd.

Great, one date down and there was probably a gazillion to go. He was going to kill Paula.

* * *

**I was seriously blown away with the response I got for the first chapter so a big Thank you to everyone for your feedback! Your advice and words of encouragement were simply amazing! Once again, thanks for reading, and I can only hope that you continue to enjoy the story.**

**BareWriter**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

* * *

Sitting on her couch, Kate was reviewing her latest case notes. She was exhausted, but after spending the afternoon with Castle in the park, she didn't get to complete the work she wanted too.

Hearing the buzzing of her phone, she took a quick glance at the caller ID before answering.

"Hey, Lanie. How you going?" she greeted with a yawn.

"Uh-uh. Kate Beckett, I am not calling so we can talk about me. I'm calling so we can talk about you. Now, why didn't you tell me that you were dating Richard freakin' Castle?"

Shutting her eyes, Kate winced. Great. She was going to tell Lanie, _eventually,_ but it seemed like somebody already did the talking for her.

Putting her files aside, Kate sunk into the couch. "How do you know about that?"

"Javi told me. Mind you, he didn't decide to inform me until now, but at least he told me. Girl, I am your best friend. What the hell is wrong with you?" she questioned through the phone.

"Nothing, I just-" unable to find the right words to explain, Kate went for the easiest she could come up with. "I was going to tell you, but it's just complicated."

"Yeah, I know, he explained everything. But it still doesn't mean I'm happy with you." Letting out a sigh, Lanie softened her voice, "Now that we've got that out of the way, how was your walk?"

"Terrible," Kate grumbled.

"Okay, well, it was your first date, so I guess that's only expected. When and where is your next outing taking place?"

"I'm going to his place on Friday." Kate ran her fingers through her hair, slightly scratching her scalp.

"Hmm, two dates in five days. Doesn't sound so terrible to me," Lanie teased.

"Unfortunately we have no choice in the matter. His publicist has literally provided us with an itinerary of what we are expected to do and when," dropping her hand to rest on the cushions.

"Mmm-hmm, and is jumping him in that itinerary somewhere?"

"Lanie, please-" she interjected.

"Kate, he is one of New York's most eligible bachelors, your favourite author, and you are practically going to be spending every second day with him. You cannot tell me that you're not planning on taking advantage of the situation," she justified.

"That is far from my mind. He is so superficial and egotistical it's astonishing," Kate unenthusiastically replied.

"Honey, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you already have that opinion of him _before _you met? Maybe if you actually got to know the damn guy, you might get along a little."

"Lanie, he is completely how they describe him in the papers, if not worse."

"Come on, Kate. I've been trying to set you up for years, and you haven't had a bar of it. Now, you have this man literally _forced_ into your life. It's like it's meant to be," Lanie attempted to persuade.

"There is no way. He is like a complete child and all we seem to do is argue with each other," Kate defended into the phone.

"Well, maybe that's a good thing. You are one of the most serious, closed-off people I've ever met, Kate. Your life could do with someone who challenges you. Look at the positives, though. At least you survived your first date together," Lanie highlighted optimistically.

"That was one date, Lanie. Goodness knows what's going to happen on the next one."

"Honey, I'm sure it won't be that bad."

* * *

This was bad. Rick was sitting at the kitchen bench, apprehensively watching the clock. They had agreed that Kate would come over three o'clock, and it was currently ten minutes past. Damn. That meant she would be there any minute now.

Looking around hopelessly at his empty and silent loft, he dreaded her arrival. He had spent the past two hours attempting to create excuses for Paula. Anything, that could logically justify why it was simply impossible for Kate to come over; radioactive rats were running loose in his kitchen, his loft was haunted with ghosts who didn't like visitors, he received a contagious monkey virus and therefore was in lockdown...The only problem was, he couldn't think of anything sensible enough to work. Stupid over active imagination.

Hearing a knock at the door, he dropped his head in his hands and let out a grumble.

"Here we go."

Pushing off the stool, he shuffled his way to the entry. Shaping his hand around the metal handle, he exhaled a deep breath, and pulled.

"Hi," he welcomed to an equally discontented Kate Beckett.

Stepping aside, he gestured with his arm for her to enter.

"Hi," she mumbled, walking past him with a pile of folders in her arms.

Did this woman think about anything other than work?

Pausing in the entry, she stood uncomfortably, waiting for him to take the lead.

"Oh, here, you can sit on the couch if you would like," motioning to the leather furniture.

"Thanks," she muttered, as she slowly began to move.

Once she was sitting down, Rick awkwardly scratched his back. "Great, well, I will leave you to it. I'm just going to go in there," he fumbled, pointing to his office, "To, you know, do some writer stuff."

"Sure," she replied, setting her work out in front of her.

Quickly exiting the room, he walked into his office and shut the door behind him. Scanning his eyes around the decorated space, he attempted to find some inspiration. What the hell was he going to do for three hours? He couldn't write because of his wrist, not that he really wanted to anyway. He was certain he had a yo-yo in there somewhere, but he just had to find it...

Before he had a chance to look, however, his phone rang.

Lifting it up to his ear, he didn't even get a word in before he was deafened by the booming voice on the other end. "Richard Castle!"

Jerking his phone away from his sensitive eardrum, Rick grimaced. That was just what he needed. An angry Paula.

"Hi, Paula!" he answered, providing his best attempt at cheerful voice. He figured if he at least sounded a little happy, there was a slight chance he might have been able to dissolve her bad mood.

"Do not try to force your charm on me, Richard!"

Damn. She knew him too well.

Walking over to his large chair, he dejectedly sat down. "What's wrong with you?" he innocently queried.

"Have you checked the paper for your big article from your first date?" she sternly questioned through the phone.

"Ah, no. Sorry, Paula. I've been really busy trying to help Alexis with her schoolwork, and-"

"Your excuses aren't going to work either," she suddenly interrupted.

"Fine. I can check now if you'd like?" he apprehensively suggested, searching through the pile of papers on his desk.

"Sure, go for it, but you might want to find a magnifying glass beforehand!" Paula snapped.

"What?"

"There is no article, Richard!"

Uh-oh.

"You are briefly mentioned. Simply a line at the bottom of a summary gossip piece." Clearing her throat, she began to read, "_In other news, celebrity author, Richard Castle, was seen arguing with yet another one of his women. It doesn't seem like the Storm will be Clearing for this doomed coupling._ "

"Hey, that's not too bad. At least the play on words mentions my new book title, sort of," he hopefully informed.

"Richard, this is a catastrophe. We don't want to be '_other news,' _we want to be_ the _news! People aren't interested in reading about you fighting with your woman of the week. Romance sells, Rick. They want to hear the true love story of the murder-mystery writer falling in love with a local cop. Arguing in front of the cameras is not going to accomplish that!" she finished her rant angrily. "Now, you are meant to be on date number two. Is she there yet?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Great. What are you two doing?"

"She's working in the lounge and I'm in my office," he replied, playing with a figurine on his desk.

"You're what?" she yelled. "Are you hiding from her?"

"No," he clarified with an uneasy chuckle, "Paula, don't be ridiculous. I'm cleaning out my desk drawers."

He's never lied so badly in his life.

"Richard, you and I both know that you never clean out those drawers."

Realising it was a lost cause, he quickly spoke. "Fine, I'll admit it, I'm hiding. But this is just too hard, Paula. I'm trying to get along with her, I really am, but she's just-"

"Just what?"

"I don't know! That's the problem. I have no idea what she is," he defiantly whispered, standing up from the chair. "I have never met a woman like her in my life." Making his way towards the other side of the room, he continued, "Trying to have a normal conversation with her is like trying to tunnel through a brick wall with a spoon. It's impossible! Seriously, Paula. There is no way this is going to work out. We are literally polar opposites," he hushed, now staring at an occupied Kate Beckett through his bookshelf.

"Just be patient with her. You know they say opposites attract," she hinted.

"Well, whoever came up with that stroke of genius was clearly drinking Kool-Aid at the time!" he adamantly argued.

"Rick, the potential publicity for this is massive, but it's not going to happen if you two are constantly at each other's throats! Now, quit acting like a child, and go out there and talk to her!" she sternly instructed before hanging up.

Rick opened his mouth to respond, but it was too late. Placing his phone back in his pocket, he huffed out a breath and slowly began to pull at the door.

Keeping his attention on Kate, who was completely engaged in her work, he uneasily made his way across the room. Stopping a few feet away from her, he sunk down on the opposite end of the couch and stared. He just sat there, hands clasped in his lap, waiting for her to acknowledge him.

In what seemed like forever, she slowly lifted her head up and returned his gaze.

With her full attention, he cleared his throat and finally spoke. "So... How about this wintery weather, huh?" he uneasily began.

Raising an eyebrow, Kate shot him a questioning glance. "The weather? Really, Castle? That's what you go for?"

Shifting his body to now face her, "Hey, don't blame me, okay. After our first date I googled one-hundred and one ways to start a conversation in awkward situations, and talking about the weather was most popular," he defended.

"I can't believe you actually put in effort for this," she sighed, attempting to look preoccupied.

"Believe me, I didn't. I just wanted to be more prepared then last time. We both know what a disaster that one was," he chuckled to himself.

Closing the case file on her lap, Kate crossed her arms and drew her eyebrows together. "Why are you here?"

"Uh, because it's _my_ loft."

Rolling her eyes, she continued. "Not here as in your loft, I mean here as in the room. What happened to, 'we don't even have to be in the same room as each other'?" she questioned, imitating his earlier statement.

"Well, that _was_ the plan. Paula just found out though and told me off. She wasn't exactly happy with our performance at Central Park and thought we needed to put in a bit more 'effort'. She made me come and talk to you," he said quietly, bringing his feet up to rest on the coffee table.

"She _made_ you? What are you, five?"

"No. But when Paula tells me to do something, I prefer to listen. She is a _very_ scary woman."

"So we are just going to sit here for the next three hours?"

"Pretty much. Sounds fun, right?" he sarcastically asked.

Kate looked around the room, before letting out a sigh. "This is ridiculous. How about you put a movie on. Do you think Paula will be okay with that?" she mocked.

At least it was a valid excuse to sit in silence for a few hours.

"Okay. Well, you look through the cabinet over there then," gesturing to the piece of furniture, "And pick out a DVD that you like. I will go set up the projector," he suggested, getting to his feet.

"Great," she nodded, pushing herself off the couch and making her way to his collection.

Entering his office, Castle gathered all the equipment he could find. Hmm, now where was that remote?

Doing a quick rummage of the room, he still couldn't spot it, so headed out to the lounge for further inspection.

After a few minutes of unsuccessful searching, he finally gave up.

"Hey, have you seen the projector remote?" he asked Kate, who was still crouched over, trying to choose a movie.

"Have you looked for it?" she bluntly asked, turning around to face him.

Dropping his shoulders, he let out a sigh. "No, my spidey-senses are just telling me that it's missing," sarcastically waving his fingers in the air. "Of course I looked for it," he finished sternly.

"Castle, I've been here for no longer than twenty-five minutes. What makes you think I could find it?"

"Because you're a _detective_. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you _detect_ things?" he obviously stated.

"Murderers, Castle. Not missing remotes," she factually responded.

"So you're saying that your skills are selective? Jeez, remind me if I'm murdered not to ask _you_ to try and solve my case," he sarcastically informed, before quickly reviewing his words, "Wait- that wouldn't work..."

"Are you serious?" she frowned.

"Well, at least admit that between the two of us you would be most qualified to find it," he honestly answered.

Unwilling to argue over something so trivial, Kate let out a puff of air and rose to her feet. "Have you looked in the couch?" she questioned, making her way towards the furniture.

"Of course I looked there," he frankly sighed.

Now standing in front of the couch, Kate began to feel between gaps. Lifting up the cushions, she spotted the remote.

"Sure you did," she unbelievably stated, holding the missing object out for him to see.

"You found it," he answered, expressing his surprise. "Well, just so you know, it definitely wasn't there when I looked," he justified, taking the remote and walking towards the projector. "So, you pick a movie yet?"

Kate slowly walked towards him. "Yeah. I had seen it advertised and was interested in watching it, but never found the time. Here," handing him the DVD.

Looking at her choice, Rick scrunched up his face. "Oh, nah, not that one. Bruce Willis' character gets killed in the end. Choose another one," he candidly informed before walking off.

"Are you serious?"

Turning around to catch her stare, he was completely oblivious.

"What?"

"Castle, I just said I hadn't seen it. You literally just spoiled the whole movie for me."

Oh. Whoops. "Well, you said you didn't have the time to watch it, so I guess now you don't need to. You should probably be thanking me."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"What now?" he grunted, turning around to face her.

"You are so self-centred you don't even realise it!" she pointed out, forcing her hands to her hips.

Scrambling his brain for good comebacks, he quickly responded. "Well, at least I communicate enough for you to notice."

"What's that meant to mean?" she defensively questioned.

"All you seem to do is grumble and frown all the time."

"I don't grumble. I just don't agree with most of the things you say, so I let you know!" she argued, raising her voice.

"See, there you go again with the bad mood. Where are your fellow dwarfs? I need to tell them Grumpy has run away and she's in my loft!"

"Gah, you're unbelievable!" she shouted, standing up from the couch and collecting her files.

"Yeh? Well guess what? So are you!" he equally retorted, his voice just as loud.

"Fine! Enjoy your movie, Castle!" walking away from him in a huff.

"Fine, I will!" he stubbornly agreed, overdramatically raising his hands in the air.

"Fine!" she finished, shutting the loft door behind her.

Yep. This was bad.

* * *

**Thanks again to everyone who has taken their time to read, especially to those who have made the extra effort to leave a review. Every single one of them has given me further encouragement and even got this chapter out a little earlier than expected.**

**BareWriter**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

* * *

Standing in the Precinct elevator, Rick leaned against the wall for support. Today brought the arrival of date number three, and he wasn't exactly looking forward to it.

As the doors gradually opened, he slowly exited onto the fourth floor, briefly pausing in attempt to spot Kate. After glancing around, he was unable to find her, however spotted Ryan and Esposito working at their respective desks.

Ah, friendly faces.

"Hi, Guys!" he greeted, casually walking towards the two detectives.

Looking up, Esposito noticed the writer. "Hey, Castle. What are you doing here?" he queried.

"Ah, I'm coming to meet Kate. Do you know where she is?" he asked, again scanning the large area in attempt to find her.

"She's out running a few leads," Ryan casually replied, eyes directed to his computer screen.

Shooting his head back to face the men, Castle narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What? Why aren't you out with her? I sort of got the impression you guys were in a threesome."

Ryan and Esposito quickly shot their heads up, eyes wide.

What were they looking at him like that for? Oh-

Catching on to his slip of words, Castle let out a nervous cough and quickly corrected himself. "_Partners_, I mean a threesome as in work, police, arresting _partners_," he explained, motioning his hands in front of him for further clarity.

Both the detectives narrowed their eyes at him, before returning to their work.

"Ah, nah, Esposito and I are partners, but Beckett's more like our boss," Ryan informed, still cautious of Castle.

"Yeah," Esposito continued, "I mean, we share the same cases with her and all, but when it comes down to it, she prefers to work by herself. More of the,_ independent_ type."

"Don't worry, I noticed," Castle chuffed. The way she was so guarded and defensive, he figured she didn't like to spend a lot of alone time with others. "I just thought it was mandatory or something for every cop to have a partner. I mean, who does she eat doughnuts with?"

"Not everything is how they portray in the cop shows, Castle," Ryan noted.

Nodding in agreement, Esposito further highlighted the point. "Look, not all cops require a partner if that's what they prefer. Some like relying on others to have their back, others, like Beckett, would rather do things themselves. As long as they can handle it and are adequate enough."

"She's that good at her job?" Castle asked, surprised.

"Are you kidding?" Ryan began, "Beckett's one of the best, and this job is practically her life. Trust me, she's fine."

"So, she's just out fighting criminals by herself?" questioned Castle, still unable to comprehend.

"She's not going in a gun battle or anything, Castle. Just checking a few leads," Esposito continued to reassure.

When he first met Kate, Rick instantly got the impression she was a dedicated detective. She even brought her case files to his house. But he really didn't think she was _that_ committed and self-reliant, that she would be so willing to do her job on her own.

Returning from his thoughts, Rick once again glanced around for Kate.

"What time were you meant to meet her?" Ryan asked, noticing the writer looking at his watch. "I wouldn't think she'd be too long."

"Ah, fifteen minutes ago, actually," Castle noted. "She said it would be her lunch break."

Esposito raised his head in confusion. "Lunch break? She really told you that? I didn't even think Beckett knew the definition of the term."

"Hey, I heard that, Espo," Beckett warned, confidently striding from the elevator. Noticing Rick hovering around her colleagues, "Castle, what are you doing here?" she strictly enquired.

Castle turned and cautiously walked towards Kate. "We have lunch today, remember?"

Briefly looking up at him, Beckett sat down at her desk. "I don't have time for this, Castle. I've got work to do," she sighed.

"What? You cannot be serious!" he began. There was no way she was bailing on him now.

"Castle, all of our leads for this case have taken us to dead ends. I want to stay here and go over the evidence a bit."

"But Kate-"

"Castle, despite this whole arrangement, work comes first," she sternly informed, organising papers on her desk.

"I just travelled all the way here. Besides, if Paula discovers that we didn't go, she will chop me into little pieces and eat me! She was already sharpening her knives after she found out about what happened at my place!" he whinged, now standing in front of her.

Glancing from his desk, Esposito directed his attention to Beckett. "Oooh, what _did_ happen at your place, Castle?" he teasingly suggested, raising his eyebrows.

Ignoring her colleague's insinuation, Beckett stood and walked over to her murder board. "Castle, I'm not leaving. If you still want to go through with our plans today, your options are to leave and come back later, or you can sit in there and wait for me," she instructed, nodding to the lone chair in the break room.

Turning to see where she directed, "I'm not just going to sit in there," Castle scoffed. "Can't I solve a murder for you or something?" he asked, now gazing over her detailed white board.

"No," she firmly replied.

"But you could be hours! By the time you're done I could be covered in a layer of dust!" he over exaggerated.

"Ha-ha, he's funny," chuckled Ryan.

"Good. You can have him," Beckett responded dryly.

"Well, at least someone appreciates me," Castle mumbled. "Thanks, Ryan," he said, looking over at the detective.

Playing with the white board marker, Kate glared at the writer.

"Come on, Beckett. Go on a little break. We can look over the evidence for you," Esposito advised, remaining on point.

"See," commented Castle.

Glancing over the three men, Kate reinforced her decision. "No."

"Why don't you 'rock, paper, scissors' it? Castle wins, you go now. You win, you stay," Ryan suggested.

"Nah, cause then I would have to teach her the rules," Castle dismissed. "Anybody got a coin, so we can flip for it?" he asked, turning out his pockets.

"No need, Castle. Beckett knows how to play. Don't you, Beckett?" Esposito teased, looking over to his now glaring female colleague.

Simply wanting him to go away, Kate agreed. "Fine. But if I win, you leave me alone to do my work. Got it?"

"You actually know how to play?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I?"

"Because, it's you," he stated, creasing his forehead in confusion.

Drawing her eyebrows together in a frown, Beckett simply held out her fisted hand with a sigh. "Hurry up."

Castle followed her actions, overdramatically rolling up his sleeve as if he was preparing for a fist fight. Stretching his fingers, he cleared his throat and eventually held out his closed hand.

With matching stances, they both counted to three and displayed their choices.

Castle drew rock, and Kate presented paper.

"What? That's so unfair, as if you won," Castle complained, staring at his still closed hand in shock as Kate walked off.

Spinning to see Ryan and Esposito chuckling under their breaths, Castle hurriedly tried to catch up with her, still holding out his hand.

"Come on, best out of three," he propositioned.

"No. Rules are rules, Castle. You lost, so it looks like I'm staying right here," she informed, getting comfortable in her chair.

"This is ridiculous! I mean, how does anybody expect paper to beat rock anyway? I completely understand the logic behind scissors beating paper, and I get how rock can beat scissors, but come on, that's pushing it a bit."

"I didn't make the rules, Castle, and I'm not in the mood to argue, so go."

"You are all cops. I don't know how you can just sit there and ignore this clear lack of basic intelligence. Are we just expected to believe that paper can simply wrap around a rock and magically immobilize it?" he asked, looking around for support.

"Castle-" Beckett began through gritted teeth, attempting to focus on her notes.

"Is there a universal, 'rock, paper, scissors' committee, because if there is, I'm sending in a letter of complaint!"

"Castle!"

Stopping his rant, Castle turned to Kate, who was now piercing a stare straight through him. She was angry at him, sure, but there was something else. Almost like a hint of sorrow she was attempting to conceal.

Realising that she was genuinely affected by something, and not just annoyed with him, he dropped it. "Fine. I will call Paula and tell her about the change of plans. Text me when you're done and we can go to a cafe or something," he informed cautiously.

"Fine," she agreed, walking off into the break room.

Watching her leave, Rick stared in thought, unable to interpret her demeanour.

Quickly moving back over to Ryan and Esposito, he pressed for answers.

"Hey, what's up with her?" he asked, gazing his attention to Beckett. "I mean, she always seems kind of cranky, but this seems," attempting to come up with the appropriate words, "Different."

"I don't know, Castle. In case you haven't noticed, Beckett's not much of a 'sharer'," noted Ryan.

"But you must have some idea?"

Letting out a sigh, Esposito glanced at Beckett, who was now busily making a coffee. "If I had to guess, it would probably be the case that we are working on." Turning back to the writer, he caught his questioning glance and pressed on, "A mother of two was murdered on the streets, and we're not any closer to catching her killer. Just probably brought up some emotions, that all."

"What do you mean? Did she know the victim?"

"No," guessing that he had already said too much, Esposito briefly paused. "Look, don't worry about it, okay. Don't you have a publicist to call anyway?" he asked, casually changing the subject.

"Uh, yeah," Castle replied, taking one last look at Beckett, before scrolling through his phone.

* * *

Something was wrong.

Sitting in a window booth in a small cafe, Rick was timidly eyeing the detective positioned opposite him. Sure, they got on each other's nerves, and they had definitely had their fair share of arguments, but seeing her like this made him uncomfortable. She was quiet, too quiet, avoiding his gaze and awkwardly palming her coffee. They weren't exactly buddies, but he could tell that something was up.

Just as he was about to form a sentence, she spoke.

"So, we are once again bound by silence," she began quietly. "Which one of your one-hundred and one conversation starters are you going to use now?" she finished, looking out the window in thought.

She appeared deflated; all of her fight and fire she normally directed at him, seemingly drained out of her.

Clearing his throat, he hesitantly spoke. "Ah, I wasn't actually."

Turning her head to face him, she responded, unbelieving. "What? You're not going to take this opportunity to remind me about how difficult I am, or even how grumpy I always seem to be?" she sarcastically questioned, returning her attention to the steaming mug in front of her.

"No, actually," he replied, cautious of his next words. "I was going to ask you if you were okay."

"What?" she asked, jerking her head up to face him, clearly shocked.

Quickly fumbling for words, "I mean, I know we aren't friends or anything, but you seem upset," he clarified.

"Since when did you care about my wellbeing?" she questioned, honestly confused by his concern.

"Well, I don't, not really, but-" Pausing, he attempted to compose himself, then continued, "I live with two women, so I'm kind of a good listener. If you want, that is."

He waited, gave her the chance to contemplate his offer. They didn't do this. This wasn't them, but for some reason Castle just couldn't help himself.

Kate simply stared at him, trying to decipher his motives.

She finally swallowed, then opened her mouth. "It's just a tough case, that's all," she informed, before once again averting his gaze.

Clearing his throat, Castle honestly spoke. "Well, try not to take your work home with you. Every sixty seconds spent sad is a minute of happiness you'll never get back."

"Jeez, thanks, Dr. Phil. Any other advise you'd like to give out while you're at it?" she apathetically sighed.

"Ah-yes, actually." Sensing the need to break the tension, Castle continued, "Never make eye contact while eating a banana. It can get awkward," he animatedly whispered.

Lifting her head up, Kate let out a small grin.

Whoa. Castle was stunned at the sight, and could do nothing but grin back at her.

Suddenly coming to terms with what occurred, he quickly spoke, still amazed. "Oh my God, you just smiled," he commented.

"No, I didn't," she softly responded, quickly dropping her head down again, and her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"Yes, you did. I definitely saw it. It only lasted a few seconds and was just a slight movement of your lips, but there is no denying it. Wow, I don't know whether to be amazed or scared," he casually teased.

"I'm sure you will be fine, Castle," she replied, lifting her head once again.

They sat there, for no more than three seconds, with their gazes locked on each other. They had made eye contact before, sure, but this was the first time they had done so without any hate or venom behind it.

Suddenly, almost like they had been burned, they both quickly dropped their heads and broke the connection.

Uneasily rubbing her neck, Kate eased the apparent awkwardness. "Ah, it's getting late, do you mind if I go back now?"

"Yeah, no, of course," Castle quickly replied, still unsure as to what just happened. "Until next time, I guess."

Standing up and placing a few bills on the table, she responded. "Bye, Castle," before turning around and walking out the door.

* * *

**Thank you everyone for your feedback, suggestions, encouragement, and basically for still reading. I really take everything you say on board, and it's truly amazing to read your responses after posting a new chapter. Also, please let me know what you think of the pacing of their relationship too, as your opinions would help immensely!**

**BareWriter**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

* * *

Kate was standing in the lobby of Castle's building, patiently waiting for the elevator. It had been a few days since she had last seen him, and it was safe to say that their last date didn't exactly go as expected. She didn't even know how to explain what happened at the café, but whatever it was, she knew at the time that she just needed to get out of there.

As the elevator finally arrived and the two large doors gradually opened, Kate was welcomed by a familiar face.

"Paula, hi," Kate greeted, surprised by the encounter.

Looking up from her phone as she hurriedly stepped out, Paula noticed the woman now standing in front of her.

"Detective Beckett, good to see that you are on time and ready for another date," she commented.

Noticing the doors shut behind the publicist, Kate let out a sigh, "Ah, I wouldn't exactly say I'm ready, but I'm here none the less," she awkwardly replied.

"Well, let's hope you two can at least do better than the last time you were here. Maybe next house call you should bring a bottle of wine instead," she suggested, noting to the papers Kate was carrying. Looking up to her once again, Paula continued. "Might, ease the tension a bit," she furthur hinted. "How are you finding Ricky, anyway?

"To say that I'm counting down the days would sum it up pretty well," Kate answered honestly.

Acknowledging her response, Paula placed both hands on her hips. "You know, I don't understand why there's so much dislike between you two," she queried out loud.

Kate slightly nodded her head and gave an uneasy smile. "I guess you can't get along with everyone."

"I would have to agree with you on that," Paula sighed, "I mean, with you two as a prime example, it sure appears that way," she finished, directing her hand toward Kate.

Pausing briefly, both women stood awkwardly, until Paula's eyes suddenly lit up. "However, good work with your last date," she complimented with a grin.

"I'm sorry?" Kate enquired, confusion written on her face.

"Your last date. At the cafe," she clarified. "Didn't you see yesterday's paper?"

"Ah, no," Kate answered frankly. She had absolutely no interest whatsoever, in what was being published about her and Castle's fake relationship.

"Oh, it was brilliant," Paula quickly began to explain, "Not only did you have a whole article dedicated to your blossoming romance, but there was also a photo to accompany it. The way you two were smiling at each other in that cosy booth, it was perfect," she smiled. "I must admit though, hearing Ricky complain about you all the time, I was beginning to worry that a moment like that wouldn't be possible," she informed with a chuckle.

"Oh, it wasn't a moment," Kate quietly dismissed, "And it only lasted for a brief amount of time, so I guess you're lucky they were able to photograph it."

"Well, I've already spoken to Rick, and whether it was brief or not, I hope to be seeing more of that as we progress through this relationship," Paula hinted.

Dropping her head, Kate mumbled a reply. "Hmm, we'll see."

Looking at her watch, Paula let out a large breath. "Anyway, I have a meeting to attend and you have a date to get to, so I will leave you to it," she said, stepping aside. "Goodbye Detective."

"Bye," Kate replied, as she once again pressed the small button on the wall and waited for the elevator.

* * *

Knocking at his loft, Kate shifted on her feet, waiting until he finally swung the door open.

"Hey," she apprehensively greeted.

"Hi. Ah, Paula was just here," he informed, moving out of the way for her to enter. "Did you see her on your way up?" he asked as she made her way past him.

"I did actually. She seemed pretty happy," Kate replied, pausing as she waited for Castle to shut the door behind her.

"Yeah, she loved the photo," he commented, coming to stand next to her. "Apparently she also managed to get more press outside my building today as well, so overall, she is extremely pleased with herself."

"Well I guess that's a good thing then. At least we aren't going through any of this in vein."

"Mmm," he mumbled through his sealed lips, walking off and gesturing for her to follow.

As she strode further into his loft, Kate noticed a mass of what seemed to be letters, flooding his kitchen table.

Turning around and spotting her curiosity, Castle explained. "That's all my fan mail."

"Okay," she slowly responded, drawing her eyebrows together in a frown, "And why is it out here. Don't you have an office for that kind of stuff?"

Looking over the small mountains of paper, Castle let out a sigh. "Yeah, but there was too much, so I had to bring it out here. It's okay though, I figured you would bring your work with you again," he commented, looking at the files resting in her arms, "So I left the coffee table free for you."

"Right," she replied, locking her eyes on the small, but paper free table.

As she approached the couch, Kate briefly turned around to notice Castle pulling out a chair and taking a seat, before she sunk down on the furniture and set her paperwork out in front of her.

* * *

They both managed to work in silence for over an hour, and Kate was pleased at how much she completed.

Just as she was about to begin filling out another page, she heard Castle chuckle to himself. Figuring ignorance was her best option, she attempted to return to her document, and simply block his laughter out. It however was no use. He was annoying and she couldn't concentrate.

"Castle, are you right over there?" she sarcastically questioned, looking over at him.

Without even lifting his head, he replied, "Mmm, yeah," before once again chuckling to himself.

Closing the file in front of her, Kate crossed her arms. "Castle, I'm trying to do work. I can't concentrate with you making all that noise."

"Well, I'm trying to do work too and I can't concentrate while you keep on talking," he retorted, still keeping his gaze on the page in front of him.

"You cannot seriously tell me that what you are doing is work," she scoffed.

"It is so work!" he defended, now locking his eyes on hers. Observing her unbelieving look, he continued, "Okay, well it is work related. Most of these people write to me because of my novels, which if you haven't realized, is how I claim to be employed."

"Well, do you have to _work_ so loudly?" she argued.

"Yes," he replied confidently, with a nod of his head. "In case you haven't noticed, there is a lot of mail here and I'm just trying to read through it. Finding the humor in the letters passes the time. Besides, some of these are actually hilarious," he finished with another chuckle, holding out a page for Kate to see.

Rolling her eyes, Kate once again looked over the piles in front of him. "Why do you have to look through all of that anyway? I mean, you're the self-proclaimed _hotshot_ author; don't you employ someone to do that for you?"

Glancing over the consumed table, he responded. "Sort of. Black Pawn go through all of my mail and take out all the crazies, but then they give me the genuine ones. Also, it's not something I have to do; it's something I like to do," he clarified.

"Don't you mean something _your ego_ likes to do?"

"No. Maybe. As time consuming as it is, I figure that if people put in the effort to write to me, then the least I could do is read it. Besides, I feel like I should make the most of it while they are still flowing in," he haphazardly replied.

"What's that meant to mean?" she questioned, placing her folders on the table.

"Well, I'm wrapping up my Storm series soon, so I don't think I will be getting as many loving letters once it's finished. Derek Storm is my most popular character, so I can't imagine too many of my fans will be happy once they find out about what I plan to do," he casually informed, continuing to sift through the colourful pile.

Kate's head shot up as the words flew out of his mouth."What?" she questioned a bit too urgently.

"Yeah," he sighed, not noticing her slight distress. "_Storm Clearing_ will be my second last Derek Storm novel. I was actually half way through writing the last one, well, until my wrist, anyway."

She loved all of his novels, even his earliest, but Derek Storm was her favourite character. Ever. How could he possibly stop writing him like it was no big deal?

Swallowing, Kate looked down at her hands, now clasped together. "Oh, okay," she replied, trying not to appear too dejected. However, letting her curiosity get the best of her, she continued. "So, ah, are you going to begin a new series once you're finished with Storm?" she tried to casually question, praying that he didn't find her interest on the topic too unusual.

"Yeah, of course," Castle answered easily, with his attention still on the papers in front of him. Giving a slight chuckle, "Why would you care anyway? It's not like you-" He paused mid sentence, as he looked at her for the first time during the conversation.

"No way," he commented, still gazing at her, eyes now wide and mouth agape.

Oh-no. She could see his mind ticking as he began to sift through all that she said during the exchange. She was way too enthusiastic for someone who wasn't meant to care, but she hoped he wasn't smart enough to figure it out.

Apparently, he was.

Biting the inside of her cheeks, she attempted to remain calm and appear unaware of where this conversation was headed. "What?" she questioned, her heart now pounding.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say you sound disappointed," he cautiously thought out loud.

Kate refused to respond, and apprehensively waited for him to piece it all together.

He took his time, almost as if he was trying to wrap his head around what he was about to ask.

"Do you read my books?" he queried with a high-pitched tone, now turning his whole body in his chair to now face her.

"What? No!" she hurriedly spat out, quickly dropping her head and averting his gaze.

"You do so! You're all flustered and you're blushing!" he noted, now rising to his feet. "You read my novels," he stated, as he slowly began to creep towards her. Pausing, his eyes lit up and a huge grin spread across his face. "Oh my God, you're a fan!"

Clearing her throat, Kate attempted to compose herself. "Please, I couldn't care less about your novels, and I am most definitely not a fan," she nervously mocked. "I-I'm just shocked, that you're so willing to give up all of that fan mail," she attempted to recover.

"I'm not giving it up; I'm just, moving on," he replied, disregarding her attempted excuse. "I cannot believe it," he smiled, pleased with his discovery. "Although, looking back, maybe I can. When we first met, _you did_ already know who I was," he noted, wiggling his eyebrows and now leaning against the large table.

This was a disaster. When she was forced into this situation with him, one thing she was never going to do was let him discover that she was a fan. There was no way that was about to change.

Drawing together any possible acting talent she possessed, Kate fumbled for an excuse. "Please, I knew who you were from the papers. You and your women have made your way on page six from time to time, and I've simply seen your photo. That's all."

"Yeah, sure," he replied, turning around and quickly shuffling through the letters.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm looking to see if any of these letters are from you," he teased.

Oh, come on now. He was correct in presuming she was a fan, but there was no way he could think she would be _that _obsessed with him.

"I can assure you that I did not write you any letters."

"But you are a fan, right?" he questioned with his back still turned to her.

"No," she sternly responded. "Castle, you can stop looking. You aren't going to find my name signed on any of those."

"How do I know that? You could be writing to me under an alias, or you could even have another identity. You could even have a double life I don't know about-wow!" he briefly paused. Gathering his thoughts, he spun around to face her and continued, "I just realised something. You are my fake girlfriend, and I don't even know anything about you. I mean, we are spending all this time together and we are practically strangers. I've let you in my house!" he said, now appearing alarmed, with numerous letters clasped in his hands.

"Castle, I only have one identity," she responded. What he was saying was ridiculous, but it was far better than his previous assumptions.

"Oh, I'm sure there is some rule in the code of fake relationships that states that we should at least know some things about each other," he defended, crossing his arms.

"Castle, I'm a cop. You can trust me. If anything you are probably safer with me being here," she encouraged.

Yes. This was a much better topic.

"Kate, your profession requires you to carry a gun. You are trained to kill. I don't know why I didn't realize any of this sooner!" he argued, now glancing around the room in disbelief. Returning his gaze to her, "Anyway, being a cop doesn't mean anything! You could easily pass as a cop by day, serial killer by night. Have you not seen _Dexter_?" he questioned.

Rolling her eyes, "Castle, it's a TV show. It's fake. You can trust me when I say that when I go home, all I do is sleep. No murdering of any kind," she responded dryly.

"Fake or not, I'm just trying to look out for myself. I don't want you taking advantage of my honest soul."

"Somehow I don't think that's going to be an issue," she mumbled, collecting a few more files.

"Hey, I heard that! You know, Paula and I were having a conversation similar to this before you arrived."

"So, now you're saying Paula thinks I'm an unlawful, savage killer?" she scoffed.

"What? No. I will trust that you aren't a threat to my wellbeing, but that's not exactly what we were talking about. We were discussing _your_ safety actually."

"Why wouldn't I be safe? I'm sure that if you turned out to be a moonlighting serial killer that I could defend myself," she confidently responded.

"I'm not talking about being safe from me," he sighed. "I'm talking about all of my obsessed fans," he said, directing his arm to the table behind him.

"Castle, if they are your crazy, obsessed fans, why is my safety in question?"

"Well, now that it's public knowledge that I'm seemingly off the market, there are a lot of jealous women out there that wouldn't be too happy with you," he informed.

"Please, get over yourself," Kate ridiculed.

"It's true! I've been single for a while. I mean, I've seen women, but I wasn't in a relationship, or in this case, fake relationship, with any of them. There may be some women out there who might want to warn you off or something. Paula just thinks you should probably take some security measures, that's all."

"Warn me off? By what, trying to strangle me with their hair extensions?" she sarcastically replied.

"Don't make me sound stupid. You know, Justin Timberlake had a stalker. She even showed up at his house to convince him that they were meant to get married. How creepy is that!"

"Castle, you're not quite of Justin Timberlake's celebrity stature," she teasingly responded.

"It doesn't matter! Considering what happened to him, I just think we should figure out a theoretical plan of attack, or you could at least give me a copy of your apartment key, or something."

"No," she quickly rejected.

"Why don't you ever listen to me? This is about _your_ safety."

"Castle, there is no way I'm giving you my key."

"But this is a serious matter. It's not like I'm going to want to use it when we don't have to see each other. It would strictly be used for emergency purposes only. I don't know why you're so against it," he attempted to persuade.

"Castle, you already pointed out the fact that I'm cop, with a gun. I'm sure I would have no problem with any apparent 'crazy stalkers'," she said, gathering up the last of her files.

"Seriously, these people and their stalking abilities should not be underestimated. That's how they trap you. They act all nice and friendly and then Bam! Next thing you know they are trying to cut off a lock of your hair," he described, playing with the tips of his fringe.

Kate stood and began to make her way to the entry. "Castle, I'm not giving you a key. Now if you don't mind, I've been here a while, and since it doesn't seem like I'm going to get anything more done here, I'm going back to the precinct," she responded.

"Fine, suit yourself," he gave up.

Clasping the handle to the front door, Kate let out a sigh of relief. As absurd as that whole conversation was, at least she had managed to divert his attention away from anything about her reading his novels. And now she was leaving. Yes.

Just as she was about to pull, he spoke.

"Oh, by the way, that whole thing about you being a fan and all, I'm totally not going to forget about it," he reminded with a grin.

Giving him a glare, she hurriedly made her way into the hallway and shut the door behind her. Damn it.

* * *

**Thank you once again to everyone for your comments. All of them are extremely encouraging; however I must give a special thanks to Salma. For my story to be the first you've ever left a review for is really humbling. I hope you can continue to leave feedback for not only me, but other writers on this site as it truly means a lot.**

**BareWriter**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

* * *

It was Wednesday, and Rick and Kate were walking side by side down the streets of New York. It was cold, but Paula was adamant that this was how they were to spend their next date. According to her, they needed to aimlessly roam around, providing the press with ample opportunity to take the necessary pictures. She was determined to create another featuring article.

"Do a bit of shopping before today, Castle?" Kate questioned, directing her attention to the paper bag the writer was holding.

Brushing off her curiosity, Rick shook his head. "Nah, just something for a bit later," he nonchalantly informed, gazing over their fellow pedestrians.

"Hey, do you see them?"

"Who?" Kate asked, looking at their surroundings.

"Those women over there," Castle clarified, nodding his head slightly to the left. "They're pointing and smiling. They recognise me."

Lifting her head to where he was directing, she shot him a glare.

"See, one of them is coming over," he noted, as the woman in question strode towards them.

"I'm sorry, but are you Richard Castle?" the petite woman questioned, now standing in front of Rick.

She was no older than twenty-five, her face plastered with make-up and a flirty smile.

"Yes, I am," Castle eagerly answered with a grin. "And who might you be?"

"Annie Hurley. It's amazing to meet you," she laughed, shaking his hand. "Do you mind if my friends and I can get a picture with you?"

"Yeah, sure," Rick grinned, watching as the woman quickly ran back to her friends.

Turning to Kate, he gave her a satisfied smile. "One of the perks of the job. Meeting people who have been affected by the words I myself, have arranged on a page," he sighed, contented with his talents.

"Castle, there is no way that woman has read any of your novels," Kate scoffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Why would you say that?" he queried, now shifting his body to face her.

"Look at her. She probably just wants your photo because you're a celebrity bachelor."

"That's not true. You shouldn't judge people on how they look, anyway," he argued.

"I'm not," she clarified. "But as a detective, I know how to read people and I can tell when someone is lying. Trust me, she has never read a page in her life. Ask her who her favourite character is when she comes back," she confidently propositioned, crossing her arms out in front of her.

Considering her suggestion, Rick looked back over to the women who were now making their way towards them. "Fine, but only to prove you wrong," he answered confidently.

"Hi, would you mind taking the picture," one of them asked Kate, handing her their phone.

"Sure," Kate answered with a fake smile.

Once the photo was taken, Castle began to say goodbye, before Kate let out a reminding cough.

"Oh, before you go, just for interest sake, which one of my characters is your favourite?"

"That's easy," the woman began with a smile, "It would definitely be Storm."

Looking over to Kate, Castle expressed a satisfied grin. It was nice to be correct. Especially when it meant that Kate Beckett was wrong.

"I mean, the way you describe Darren to be so courageous and handsome," she quickly continued.

Snapping his head in her direction, Rick nervously cleared his throat, "I'm sorry?"

"That's the reason why Darren Storm is my favourite character," the woman grinned, looking up at him.

You've got to be kidding. Darren? Seriously? Who in their right mind would name their lead character Darren?

"Right, thank you very much for that," Castle sighed as the woman scurried off, unfazed.

Apprehensively turning to Kate who was trying to contain her grin, Rick waited for her to gloat. "Go on; say I told you so," he said as they slowly continued to walk.

"No, it's okay," she exhaled, shrugging her shoulders.

"Really?" he questioned, looking over to her in surprise.

"Yeah," she began, "Although I would have to agree with her. I mean, the way _Darren_ is so courageous and-"

"You're hilarious," he tediously interceded. Pausing for a beat, he soon continued, "Who cares if they don't actually read my books? You know, I should take it as a compliment. It simply means that I'm so handsome and charming, that the women of New York just find themselves helplessly falling for me."

"Ha! Clearly not," Kate scoffed, pointing to herself, "As I would never fall for you even if we were the last two people on this earth."

"Good, because I don't like you either," he was quick to remind, "But that's not the point. The point is that I am a very charming man, with ruggedly handsome features and highly regarded romancing skills."

"Castle, those women didn't even know you, so there's no way it was your romancing skills. You are just another public figure for them to drool over," she informed, sinking her hands in her coat pockets.

"Fine, maybe not my fans then, but the women I date, choose to date," he clarified, "Are mesmerized by me."

"Please," Kate dismissed, picking up her pace.

"I'm serious!" he retorted, getting in to a slight jog to keep up with her.

"Well then, what is it? I mean, it can't be your personality," she teased, giving him a glare for extra measure.

"Funny," he was quick to reply. Considering his next words, he spoke genuinely. "I am actually a nice guy."

"Right, I will believe that when I see it," she mumbled.

"Whoa, you just love throwing around insults, don't you?" he sarcastically questioned.

"To you? Yes," she matter-of-factly informed. "Why do you care what I think anyway?"

He didn't, did he?

"I-I don't," he quickly clarified.

"Good. So I guess it's settled then."

With that conversation over, Rick began to awkwardly swing the bag he was still holding, before suddenly remembering why he had it in the first place.

"Oh, after that little fan encounter, now is probably the perfect time to give you this," he said, wiggling his eyebrows and holding up the paper carrier.

"What is it?" she curiously asked.

Keeping his eyes locked on hers, Rick slowly retrieved the concealed item.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

"It's _Storm Clearing_," he informed with a grin, holding the novel out for her to see.

Kate nervously gazed upon the colorful dust jacket, before hurriedly fixing her attention on Rick.

"That's not on sale for another five weeks," she noted, pausing in her step.

"Oh, keeping a countdown are we?" he teased. Offering her a smile, "It's an advanced copy, and it's yours," he softly spoke.

She stared at the book, and he could almost see her inner struggle portrayed through her eyes. She was stubborn, he'd give her that, and she seemed adamant on maintaining control.

Once again holding out the novel for her, Rick attempted to coerce her into submission. "Come on, you know you want it. Why can't you just admit it?"

Clearing her throat, Kate shook her head and began to walk. "Because, there's nothing to admit."

Right, she wanted to play_ that_ game. Time to turn it up a notch.

"Oh, okay, so you wouldn't mind if I were to, let's say, read the last page out loud?" he asked, hurriedly trying to keep up with her.

"W-what?" she queried, spinning around to face him.

"Cause it would completely ruin the story for anyone who was to read it in the near future. If you're not a fan, then I guess it shouldn't be a problem then, would it?"

Holding her features in a steel gaze, Kate swallowed. "Nope," before continuing their walk.

Moving to catch up, Castle once again strode by her side.

"Great." Opening up to the last page of the book, "Oh, I love this paragraph. The way I expose the killer is genius, if I must say so myself," he smiled at her.

Kate remained focused on the path ahead of her, only watching him from her peripheral vision.

Clearing his throat, Castle deepened his voice and began to read. "_Entering the graveyard, Storm came to a halt, as he caught sight of the lone figure." _Pausing, he glanced over to Kate who was trying to remain undeterred.

He swore he could almost see a slight twitch of her nose, and with that as enough of a reaction, he continued._ "His face was masked by the silhouettes of the tombstones, so Storm-"_

"Castle, come on. You're being ridiculous. You can stop," she scoffed, coming to a standstill.

She was breaking, but still remained stubborn as hell.

"Nope, not until you admit it," Castle reiterated with a shake of his head.

They stood opposite each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move, when she suddenly lunged forward in attempt to snatch the book.

Castle managed to jerk away just in time, and began to walk backwards down the street, holding the novel above his head.

"Oh, I see what you tried to do there. Sneaky."

"Castle," she warned, now stalking him.

"Admit it."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Ah, you might want to," looking around, Castle noted the people who were watching them, "Cause you're creating a scene," he tauntingly sing-songed.

"I'm not creating a scene!" she sternly whispered, lowering her head slightly as she hesitantly glanced around.

"All you have to do is say you're a fan. What's the big deal?"

He waited for her to answer, and not getting a response, he shrugged his shoulders. "No? Okay, your choice. Now, where was I," he asked, scanning the page. "Ah-ha, found it."

Once again dropping his tone, Rick continued. "_His face was masked by the silhouettes of the tombstones, so Storm cautiously stepped forward. The unknown man remained still, seemingly willing to let him discover his identity. As Storm approached closer, the shadows began to clear, and he unexpectedly found himself face to face with-"_

"Just give me the damn book," she huffed, pulling it out of his grasp.

Letting out a chuckle, Rick was pleased with his efforts.

Drawing her eyebrows in a frown, Kate offered him an unsatisfied glare. "Don't gloat, okay. I'm not going to read it, I was just sick of your voice. I will simply give it to a friend, or use it as a doorstop or something," she informed.

"Whatever you say," he replied with a satisfied smile.

"Great. Well I'm going to go now," she notified, playing with the edges of the cover.

"What, to read?"

"No. To do work," she quickly clarified.

"Okay. Now, you realise that next on our schedule is for me to go to your apartment?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'm just making sure that you remembered. Give you adequate time to clean up the place, you know, hide any posters of me you might have lying around."

Catching her threatening stare, he innocently held his hands up with a chuckle. "I'm joking, relax. I won't bring it up again, I promise," he said with a teasing grin.

Staring at him briefly, Kate turned around in a huff and walked away, clutching her new novel firmly in her hands.

* * *

Home from his date, Rick was sitting at the kitchen island, eating ice-cream out of the tub.

"Hey, Honey. How was your day?" Rick asked, offering Alexis a spare spoon as she entered the loft.

Resting on the adjacent stool, "Yeah, it was good," she responded.

Looking up, Rick eyed his daughter. Her reply was a bit too innocent for his liking, and he was curious.

"What's with that tone?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes, "I don't like it."

Turning to his mother, who was busy occupying the kitchen, he searched for support. "Did you hear the way her voice raised at the end of that?"

Spinning back to face his daughter, he raised his eyebrows and waited for an explanation.

"I met a boy," she shyly offered.

"Ah-ha, I knew it! Told you something was up," he briefly smiled to Martha. Focusing back on the younger red head, Rick pressed on. "So, how did you meet?"

"He approached me when I was in a store with Paige. He seemed nice, so we chatted for a bit," she casually replied.

"And..."

"We swapped numbers," she paused for a moment to tease her father, but soon continued. "And, I'm seeing him Friday," she finished with a grin.

Straightening up a little Rick frowned slightly. "Right. How old is he?"

"My age."

"Does he go to school?"

"Yes."

"What are his parents like?"

"Richard, leave the poor girl alone," Martha intercepted, collecting a wine glass.

"Dad, stop it. We are only going on one date, not getting married," Alexis clarified.

Looking between the two women, Rick let out a sigh. "Fine, but if you go on more than five dates, I want to meet him."

"Deal," Alexis agreed, once again placing her spoon in the tub. "So, how was your day, Dad?"

"Yeah, okay I guess," Rick began, digging through the ice-cream. "I went out with Kate again," he informed nonchalantly.

"Ah," Martha commented, pouring wine into her glass. "The 'no nonsense, grumpy detective'," she sarcastically added, quoting her son's previous complaints. "You know, despite what you constantly say about her, I would have to agree with Alexis' opinion. Paula, God forbid, may have actually chosen right with this one. She doesn't sound as artificial as her other selections, and at least you don't have to worry about her just going after your fame or fortune," she advised, taking a sip of the red liquid.

Rick glared at his mother, unbelieving. "Oh, come on, not you as well. I don't understand why you both like her so much. You haven't even met her," he argued.

Filling up his spoon and focusing on the tub in front of him, he continued, "You know she smiled for the first time last week. I almost threw a party with the Happy Gods themselves."

He waited for Alexis to collect her ice-cream, before once again allowing his spoon to sink in the mass of frozen chocolate. "You should also hear the way she speaks to me."

Bringing the cool metal to his lips, he swallowed. "And she is so stubborn," he added.

Alexis continued to eat her ice-cream, and Martha took another taste of the wine, both seemingly ignoring his complaints.

"I asked her for a copy of her apartment key the other day and she refused. It was for her safety and she refused. She is just so frustrating," he whinged, now stabbing at the ice-cream with his spoon.

Unhappy with the lack of response, he glanced up at his daughter. "Are you even listening to me?"

Alexis let out a slight grin and shook her head. Bewildered, Rick looked over to his mother, who had the same teasing expression on her face.

"What?" he queried, now looking between the two women in confusion.

"So, you like her then?" Martha noted, as she took a sip of her wine.

"What? No. Did you really not listen to anything I just said? Nothing in that dialogue suggested anything about me liking her!" he adamantly disputed.

"Are you so sure?" Martha asked, raising her eyebrows.

"What's that meant to mean?" Rick questioned, tilting his head to the side and abandoning the ice-cream.

"Well, for someone who you don't like, you sure enjoy talking about her," Martha pointed out.

"Hmm, a lot," Alexis agreed with a smile.

"Oh, come on now. As if you're ganging up on me!" Looking sceptically between the two women, Rick was quick to justify, "I don't enjoy talking about her, I just, need to vent. I've been doing that since I met her. Trust me, I don't like her at all, let alone the way you two are suggesting," he scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Well, why do you care so much about getting a copy of her key?" Alexis put forward.

"Richard, what was with that anyway?" Martha question. "If I was her, I would have refused as well. You hardly know the woman. It's a bit invasive, don't you think?"

"Hey, before you feed me to the wolves, let me explain. Asking for a key was for precaution only, and it didn't mean anything. I would never want anyone to get hurt because of me, no matter who they were. Besides, it was Paula's idea and I simply agreed with it," he dismissed.

"What about your smile. You were smiling when I got home, Richard."

This was getting ridiculous. The fact that they even suggested he liked Kate Beckett was ridiculous. But _liking her_, liking her? No.

"I wasn't smiling. I was simply amused by the fact that she possibly reads my novels." With a small grin, he carried on, "She didn't want to admit it, so I gave her an advanced copy of _Storm Clearing_. You should have seen the way she reacted," he reflected, playing with the cold, chocolate dessert. "It was kind of adorable," he mumbled, entranced in his own thoughts.

Listening to his admission, Alexis and Martha both shot their heads up in surprise.

"You just said she was adorable. Oh my God, you totally do like her!" Alexis squealed.

Wait. What?

"I didn't say adorable! I said asmorable," he quickly spat out, "Which is Italian...for great," he fumbled.

Okay, he'd admit. That was terrible.

Looking over to her grandmother, Alexis let out a sigh and rose from the stool. "Okay, Dad, whatever you say. I'm pretty tired so I'm going to bed. I'm telling you though, one day you will look back and see that the signs were there right from the start."

Leaning towards his daughter, Rick gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Not going to happen, but goodnight, Sweetie."

Watching his daughter ascend the stairs, Rick placed the lid on the ice-cream.

"I think I'm going to follow Alexis' example and get my beauty sleep too," Martha informed, walking over to her son.

"Richard, you know that Alexis and I only want what's best for you," she sighed sympathetically. "If this woman is really how you describe, then fine, only do what you have to do until your book launch party. But if she isn't, don't let your own stubbornness get in the way of the possibilities," she strongly advised.

With a look of understanding, Rick offered a grateful smile. "Thank you for your concern mother, but you have nothing to worry about. Besides, it's not just me. Kate hardly gives me the time of day, so the feeling is mutual."

Taking in his response, Martha softened her voice, "Well, a word of advice, Richard. The women who don't seek your attention, they are usually the ones you need to be giving your attention to," she wisely informed, before patting his knee and heading to the stairs.

* * *

**Thanks everyone for your comments. I'm so sorry this update took so long. I had it completed a couple of days ago but life got in the way and I couldn't post it.**

**BareWriter**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

**A/N: Just a little side note, this all takes place in Kate's new apartment i.e. the one after the other one blew up.**

* * *

"Castle, why are you looking through my fridge?"

He had been at her place for a total of five minutes. Five minutes, and he was already searching around her apartment like it was his personal playground.

"I'm just a curious mind," he justified, staring at the shelves. "What's with all of the takeout boxes in there?" he questioned, turning to Kate.

Marching to the writer, Kate shut the fridge door, abruptly ending his perusal session.

"I'm a cop, Castle, with cop hours," she informed, watching him make his way into her lounge room. "I don't have time to cook meals."

"Huh," he sighed, seemingly approving of her explanation. "Speaking of, I met your neighbour on the way up. She said she hardly sees you around here," he informed, now gazing over her shelves.

He just could not help himself. As much as she disliked going to his loft, him coming here was worse. Much worse.

"That would probably Mrs. Simpkins," Kate began to explain, walking to where he was standing. She stopped directly in front of him, effectively blocking his view of her displayed belongings, before continuing. "She's getting older though, so I wouldn't be holding myself to her opinion if I was you," she further justified, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't know about that," he began as he turned around, apparently getting her hint. "She seemed very pleased to know that you have snatched yourself up such a, and I quote, 'lovely young man'," he smiled over his shoulder, pleased with the older woman's description.

"Really, she said that?" Kate queried. "Well I'm pretty sure she reads all the gossip magazines. Maybe she only had that opinion because she didn't have high expectations to begin with," she teased with a grin.

"Ouch," he sarcastically expressed, holding his hand to his chest. "I literally just got here and you're already pulling out the punches."

Turning around to get a full view of the immediate area, Castle gave his approval. "You have a nice place. It has character. I like it," he concluded.

"Thanks," Kate flippantly mumbled, watching him with a curious glare.

"Oh no, don't take it as a compliment," he clarified, spinning around to face her. "You see, apparently like Mrs. Simpkins, I didn't exactly have high expectations either, so..."

"Oh, very clever," Kate replied with a smile, walking back towards the kitchen.

Humored, Castle sat down on her couch. He briefly wriggled his body, seemingly trying to get comfortable, before leaning back with a yawn.

"Man, I am so tired," he sighed, further relaxing into the couch.

Ignoring him, Kate began to put a few dishes away, before Castle cleared his throat.

Kate let out a sigh and turned around, to find him looking at her with a waiting expression on his face.

"Okay, Castle. Why are you so tired?" she question apathetically.

"Well, you see my wrist is better, thanks for your concern by the way," he sarcastically added, "So I began writing again last night. I was on a roll and didn't get much sleep."

"Maybe next time you should choose more appropriate work hours then," she replied, shutting her cupboards.

"Oh-no, you don't understand. Inspiration is a very hard thing to come by, so when it does, you have to make the most of it," he informed, before something caught his attention. "Hmm, that's odd," he noted, pushing himself off the couch.

Walking around, he managed to search behind the couch and under her coffee table before Kate took notice.

"Castle, quit snooping," she instructed, striding towards him.

"I'm not snooping. I'm looking for where you hid your TV," he justified, continuing his hunt.

"Well, good luck, Sherlock, because I don't have one," she blatantly informed.

"You- what?" he questioned, baffled by her admission. "How do you not have a TV?"

"I don't really watch any programs, so what's the need when I wouldn't use it?" she defended.

"Well, what am I going to do?" he questioned, raising his arms.

"I don't know, Castle," she replied, walking towards her table, "Isn't creativity part of your job description?"

"Yes, but there must be something for me to do. It wasn't like this when you came to my place," he whinged.

"That's because I brought my own things to do," she responded, lifting up her files in her hand.

"You're going to do work _again_?"

"Yes. Now, sit there and don't touch anything," she instructed, pointing to her couch. "I'm sure you will find a way to keep yourself occupied."

"Fine," he mumbled, sitting on the couch in defeat. "I guess I will just play angry birds on my phone then for three hours," he complained.

"Good," she responded, before leaving the room and sitting down at her desk.

* * *

Releasing her pen, Kate finished the last of her paperwork. Gathering her files, she stacked them into a neat pile, before raising her arms in a stretch.

With all of that done, the only thing left to do was to file them at the precinct, and then she would be finished. Well, for the moment at least.

Looking at her watch, she noted it was only almost four-thirty. That meant she at least had a bit of her afternoon left.

Suddenly coming to a realisation, Kate lifted up her left wrist again and double checked the time. It was almost four-thirty and Castle was supposed to leave by four o' clock.

Kate paused, baffled. Not only was Castle still there, but it was silent. He was silent. Unless he left? But surely he would have said goodbye, or she would have at least heard him?

"Castle?" she called, still sitting at her desk.

Kate's eyes were alert, waiting for an answer. With no response, she stood up and began to cautiously make her way to the lounge room.

"Castle, I need to go to the precinct," she began, entering the room where she last left him. "Time for you to-" Kate stopped, her words swallowed, as she finally caught sight of the writer.

He was lying on his back, the length of his body extended along her couch. His legs and arms were both stretched out, his face slightly turned to the side and mashed into one of her cushions. Letting her eyes linger, she noticed that mouth was slightly open with a little bit of drool hanging out, but his eyes were firmly closed.

He was asleep.

Thoughts raced through her mind on how she could uncompassionately wake him; pour water on his face, hit him with a pillow, drop something on the floor. When the time for a decision came, however, Kate was frozen in place, and could do nothing but grin at the sight before her.

She didn't want to wake him.

He appeared different when he was asleep. The way he had managed to spread himself out, he didn't portray the image of a celebrity author, he simply seemed like a big kid, shielded with innocence. He kind of looked cute-

No. Stop right there. She refused to let herself think of him like that. It was not going to happen.

Suddenly, as if he felt her presence, Castle slowly closed his mouth and swallowed, before gradually opening his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he mumbled as he looked at her, his voice thick and hazed with sleep. "Why are you creepily staring at me?"

What the hell _was_ she doing? This was Richard Castle, a man who she wasn't meant to like, and she was gazing at him as he slept.

No, she wasn't gazing at him, she was simply-

"I was just contemplating how to get your drool out of my cushion," she answered, snapping out of her stupid trance. "I was coming to wake you. You were meant to leave half and hour ago, so it's time to go," she said, pulling the cushion out from under his head.

"Hey, that was comfy," he complained before letting out a sigh and shutting his eyes once again, "And I don't drool," he clarified.

"Well then what's this?" she questioned, holding up the cushion for him to now see.

Opening his eyes, he caught sight of the small wet patch she was pointing to. "Oh, sorry about that," he said, wiping any excess from his mouth. "Why were you contemplating? Can't you just wash it?" he innocently asked, rubbing his eyes.

Kate swallowed and looked at him, considering how to answer. "Castle, just get up," she dismissed.

As he slowly sat up, rubbing his face and attempting to fix the odd angles of his hair, Kate placed the cushion on her table, before turning back around to face him.

He was still sitting on her couch.

"Come on, Castle," she sighed.

"Yes, I'm getting up," he whined, moving to sit up straighter. "I guess I was tireder than I thought." Offering her a pout, Castle held out his hand to her. "Help me up?"

Simply wanting him to hurry up and leave, Kate rolled her eyes and walked towards him.

"Hey, so Paula called me yesterday," he began as she clasped his hand, "And she thinks we should act more _coupley _when we are out. Doesn't want the press getting suspicious."

Hearing his words, Kate quickly released his hand just as he slightly lifted from the couch, causing him to fall back down.

"She what?" Kate questioned sternly, as she stood in front of him, arms tightly crossed.

"Nothing bad," he began to clarify, slowly getting to his feet by himself. "You know, I say jokes, you laugh. You tell me how good looking I am, I agree with you. Basic relationship stuff," he joked with a sly grin.

"Oh, so that's all basic relationship stuff is it?" she mocked, placing her hand on her hip.

"Yeah," he confidently agreed. "It's not like we have to give each other pet names or anything," he optimistically informed, raising his eyebrow.

"Good, because there is no way that would happen."

"What's the matter? You don't like them, _Honey-bun_?" he teased.

Scrunching up her face, Kate reached for his ear and slightly twisted.

"Ow!" he complained, "Okay, no pet names, I get it!" he whined, holding his hands up in surrender.

Satisfied he received the message loud and clear, Kate released her grip.

"Ouch. Is this how you treat all of your boyfriends?" he frowned, rubbing his ear.

"No, and you're not my boyfriend," she clarified, walking to open the front door for him.

"And I'm glad," he informed, searching for his jacket. "I mean, waking up next to you? If this is what you're like in the afternoon goodness knows what you would be like in the mornings. Cannot imagine you being too happy," he sarcastically mumbled.

"Oh, you have nothing to worry about. You see, if this was a real relationship, I can guarantee that you would be spending your nights on the couch," she retorted.

"Well, considering your tendency to get angry at me, I'm pretty sure I would prefer it there anyway. I know my ears would appreciate it," he replied, once again trying to sooth his red ear with his fingers.

Kate frowned her eyes at him, and walked to her armchair where she found his jacket and held it out to him.

Pursing his lips together, Castle collected his piece of clothing. "Knew it was here somewhere."

Tilting her head to the side with a frown, Kate waited in silence for him to get himself organised.

"Hey, did you ever catch that guy?" he casually questioned, attention focused on pulling his arms through the jacket holes.

What on earth was he going on about?

"What guy?" Kate questioned flippantly.

"Ah, the one you were chasing after when we met," he clarified, waiting for an answer as he fixed his collar.

Kate lifted her head. "Doug Healey? I thought you didn't care."

"Well, there's more to me than a pretty face, Detective," he said with a smile.

Rolling her eyes, Kate gave him a dry response. "Yeah, we caught him," she responded.

"Good," he said with a nod of his head. Lowering his gaze and placing his hands in his pockets, he continued, "It's kind of been bothering me since it happened. I asked a couple of the officers in the precinct last time I was there, but no one-" lifting his head, he noticed Kate's face. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Kate didn't know what to think. The way he acted when it happened there was no way she considered he cared, let alone was affected by it.

"I just- Wasn't expecting that from you, that's all," she fumbled.

Letting out a huff, Castle began to make his way to the door, with Kate following close behind him.

"I know I can come across as a bit of a jerk, but I have a mother and daughter who walk through New York. They are the most important things in my life, and if anything was to happen to them, or anyone, because of my carelessness, I don't think I could live with myself."

Kate stopped walking and paused next to her table, shocked at his admission, as he continued to make his way to her door.

She swallowed. "It wasn't your fault."

She almost regretted it as soon as she opened her mouth, but listening to his guilt, she couldn't help herself. The words just seemed to flow out on their own accord.

Hearing her, Castle spun around with a questioning glance.

Kate cleared her throat and pressed on. "It wasn't your fault, so you shouldn't feel bad about it."

"But, I thought you said me getting in your way was how he escaped?"

"Well, that's true. Although, he shouldn't have been able to leave the precinct in the first place," she clarified. Considering her next words, Kate continued, "Besides, the murder he committed was an isolated crime, so the community wasn't in any real danger. I was more worried that he wouldn't get the justice he deserved. His victim deserved," she answered almost shyly, deliberately avoiding his gaze.

Castle stood there. "This whole, 'getting justice thing', it's really important to you, isn't it?" he asked, noting to the files he could now see on her desk.

"Yeah, it is," she responded.

They both were encased in silence, staring at each other.

After a few moments, Castle finally spoke, breaking the tension. "Thanks for being nice to me," he said with a grin.

Kate looked up at him and smiled. There was no better time when she was thankful for his sense of humor. Their conversation was getting too heavy, especially for them, and it was something they simply didn't do.

"Just enjoy it while it lasts," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"So, are you saying that now is the appropriate time for me to ask you to compliment my good looks?" he innocently questioned.

Catching her glare, he answered for himself. "I'll give it a bit more time," he compromised.

"Don't push your luck. I'm not feeling that generous," she warned.

Lifting her hands up, she placed them on his shoulders and spun him around, so he was now facing the door.

"Time to go, Castle," she informed, giving him a light push for extra measure, ushering him out.

Castle let out a chuckle and began to walk to the door as she stood back. "I'm going, I'm going."

Reaching the door, he held on to the handle before turning back to her. He paused, and provided her with a mischievous grin.

"Bye, Honey-bun," he teased.

Kate opened her mouth and drew her eyebrows in a frown. Quickly reaching behind her, she grasped the cushion from the table and threw it at him, but he was too quick, and the cushion silently hit the closed door.

* * *

**Argh, you were all asking me so nicely for a quick update, so I tried to get this out as soon as possible, but it took forever. Sorry! Good news is that I'm not going to be as busy anymore, so you shouldn't have to wait as long for the next chapter. Thanks for still reading!**

**BareWriter**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

* * *

"Hey, Lanie," Kate began, strolling into the morgue. "Have you got any new info for our case?"

"Sorry, Honey. I've got nothing," Lanie replied, turning to face the detective.

Scrunching her features in frustration, Kate rubbed her forehead. "What about dental records? Were you able to determine our victim's real identity through any of those?"

"Nope. None of his aliases went to the dentist."

"Damn," Kate dejectedly sighed. "This is just ridiculous. We have run every lead possible and we are getting nowhere," she informed, leaning against an autopsy table.

Looking at her watch, Kate stood straight and composed herself. "Alright, well I have to go meet Castle for lunch. Call me if you get anything, okay," she instructed, before turning away and making her way to the exit.

Just as she was about to push open the double doors, Lanie cleared her throat.

"What?" Kate questioned, spinning back to the medical examiner.

"Do not think you can mention that Writer Boy of yours and just walk out of here," Lanie disciplined, resting a hand on her hip. "I want to hear all the juicy details."

Kate rolled her eyes. "You mean Castle," she corrected, "And there are no juicy details."

Confidently striding towards her friend, Lanie crossed her arms in front of her chest. "No way. Do not lie to me, Girl. Don't think I haven't been reading the papers."

"What are you talking about?" Kate queried.

Making her way to a nearby cabinet, Lanie pulled open a draw and collected a handful of paper clippings. Walking back towards Kate, she placed them on the autopsy table in front of them.

Looking up, Lanie pointed to the colourful display now arranged on the metal surface. "_These _are what I'm talking about."

Allowing her eyes to drift down, Kate swallowed. Spread out in front of her, were newspaper articles. Newspaper articles all about her 'progressing romance' with Castle.

Kate turned to her friend in disbelief. "Lanie, as if you've been collecting these!"

"Of course I have! You haven't been telling me a damn thing, so this is my way of keeping up to date."

Turning back to the table, Kate let out a sigh. "Lanie, they don't mean anything."

"Kate, you're smiling," Lanie argued, lifting up a picture as proof.

Kate gave her friend a disapproving frown and pursed her lips. There was no way she could even try to deny it. Lanie was holding concrete evidence in her hands.

"Please, he occasionally makes me laugh, nothing more," she nonchalantly dismissed. "What's the big deal?"

"Honey, are you even listening to yourself?" Lanie queried, closing the space between them. "Tell me the last person who has made you laugh like _that_," she defended, pointing to another photo. "Hell, name me the last person who has made you laugh at all."

Keeping her features poised, Kate adamantly rejected her friend's suggestion. "Lanie, nothing between us is going to happen. I can assure you."

Unfortunately, Lanie didn't seem to buy it.

"So that's your plan? Just ignore these," Lanie began, motioning to the articles in front of them, "And then in three and a half weeks time you are going to walk away from him?"

Kate stared down the medical examiner. "Yes."

"Move on with your life?"

"Yes."

"Never see him again?" Lanie further reiterated.

"Yes. Now, if that's all, I think I'm going to go," Kate concluded, walking off and pushing open the doors.

"It's going to happen, Kate. You can deny it all you want, but it's going to happen!" Lanie declared in conclusion.

"Goodbye, Lanie," Kate called from the hallway, before letting the doors swing back and close behind her.

* * *

Stepping into the bullpen, Kate gazed over the scene displayed before her. Sitting at their desks, were Ryan and Esposito. Huddling around them, was Castle. All three men were laughing, attention focused on something Castle was showing them on his phone.

"Castle, what are you doing?" she questioned, before coming to a halt at her own desk.

He briefly looked up, before focusing his attention back down and letting out a chuckle. "Oh, you know, just chilling with my boys," he casually responded.

Kate raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Great, so they're your boys now. Remind me again why you need to go on dates with me?" she teased, opening up her case notes.

Looking over at the detectives next to him, Castle shook his head in mock disappointment. "See how she treats me? By the time we're finished, my self-esteem is going to be way down here," he complained, lowering his hand to the floorboards. Sitting up straighter, he turned to Kate. "You know, if I need therapy, it's on you."

"Don't worry, Castle," Esposito comforted, placing his hand on the writer's shoulder. "We've got your back."

Hearing their interaction, Kate let out a grin. "Considering the little bromance you've got going on there, Castle, I'm pretty sure you're self-esteem will be fine," she assured, before making her way to the murder board.

Standing in front of the large display, Kate offered a frown, before crossing her arms in annoyance.

Noticing her change in behavior, Castle rose to his feet.

"What's wrong with you?" he questioned, making his way towards her.

Kate gave him a fleeting glance before once again focusing on the whiteboard. "Oh, nothing."

Castle narrowed his eyes. "Come on, you and I both know that when a woman says nothing is wrong, _everything_ is wrong. Besides, I can sense some serious irritated vibes radiating from you," he informed, circling his hand out in front of him, "And for once I don't think it's because of me." He paused, before once again considering her. "Wait, it isn't, is it?"

Kate offered him a slight smile as reassurance. "No, just stuck on a case, that's all."

Ignoring his interest, Kate turned to Ryan and Esposito. "Have you guys come up with anything new?"

"Nah," Ryan sighed. "Any luck getting an ID from Lanie?"

"No. I think I will take the files with me to Remys and brainstorm over lunch," she notified, making her way back to her desk.

"Ah, maybe I could help," Castle apprehensively suggested.

Turning around, Kate eyed the writer who was gazing over the detailed whiteboard.

"I mean, I might be able to offer some useful insight," he further justified.

Kate let out an unbelieving chuckle. "I don't think so, Castle."

"You never know, I could be helpful!"

Displaying a disagreeing glare, Kate answered. "Castle, it's a real murder, not an outline for your next book. You can't possibly help."

Collecting the files from her desk, she turned back to her colleagues. "Alright, I'm going to go. If you guys come up with anything, give me a call," she instructed.

"You ready, Castle?" she questioned, turning around.

"Yeah," he sighed, before taking one last glance over the information in front of him and following Kate to the elevator.

* * *

Sitting at lunch, Kate had her files spread in front of her. She had kept her eyes focused on her notes their whole meal, but still couldn't disregard the man sitting opposite her. He was slightly leaning across the table, casually attempting to read her case files upside down.

She was going to say something about fifteen minutes ago, but found his efforts somewhat amusing. He tried his best to remain unnoticed, but he wasn't doing a very good job.

"Don't think I can't see what you're doing," she dryly informed, keeping her head facing downwards.

Suddenly sitting back, Castle quickly grabbed his milkshake. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he mumbled, placing the straw in his mouth.

Kate lifted her head in time to see him comically dart his eyes and loudly slurp the last of his drink, doing his best to appear innocent.

Raising a suspicious eyebrow, Kate raised the large file in front of her face, essentially blocking his view.

A few seconds later, Castle's head popped up over the top of her pages. "Why don't you just let me help you?"

Twisting her lips, Kate dropped her file on the table. "Castle, you're a civilian. I'm not letting you read over police reports. Besides, what do you think you could provide that a team of highly trained detectives hasn't?"

"Well, I'm a crime novelist. I'm literally paid to think like a murderer. Surely that would have to count for something," he argued. "Just let me have a read. I have a different way of thinking, so I might notice something you've missed."

He had a point. But still, there was no way she was letting him further interfere with her work.

Kate shook her head and provided another explanation. "Castle, I don't have a partner for a reason. I work better by myself."

"Yeah, and how's that going for you?" he sarcastically questioned, pointing to her blank notepad.

Kate offered a frown. "The answer is in here somewhere, I just have to find it," she retorted, before continuing her reading.

"So let me help. How do you know you prefer working by yourself if you don't let someone assist you now and then? You never know, we may be able to bounce off each other," he confidently justified, before reviewing his choice of words. "Woah, that sounded a lot dirtier then I meant it…"

Kate narrowed her eyes in a glare. He was adamant, but she still couldn't be convinced. For all she knew, he only wanted to help to develop a plot for his next novel-

Almost as if he could hear her thoughts, Castle pressed on. "Come on, I have no ulterior motives, I swear," he reassured, as he stole a handful of her discarded fries. "You need to learn to embrace The Castle," he mumbled, mouth full of potato.

"Embrace The Castle?" Kate mocked. "How do you even come up with this stuff?"

"I don't know, actually," he swallowed, tilting his head in thought. "Sometimes I even surprise myself."

Kate watched him steal a few more of her fries and chewed her lip, considering his offer. He didn't seem like giving up anytime soon, and they _were_ at a standstill on their case...

"Seriously, what is there to lose?" he finally offered.

Kate let out a sigh. "Fine," she huffed.

She couldn't believe she actually agreed, and apparently, neither could he.

"Really?" he questioned, his head shooting up in shock.

"Yes. Now hurry up before I change my mind," she sighed.

"Yes!" he smiled.

Kate reached for her files, aiming to spin them around so he could read them. Before she had a chance however, Castle lifted from his seat and moved around the table to position himself in the vacant spot next to her.

"Okay, what have we got," he questioned, rubbing his hands together in enthusiasm and fixing his eyes on the reports.

Kate took a moment to adjust to his proximity. Despite falling on him when they met, they had never been this close to each other. There were only a few inches that separated her thigh and shoulder from his, and the smell of his cologne suddenly overwhelmed her senses.

Closing her eyes, Kate firmly dismissed her own thoughts. This was absurd. She just spent a whole conversation justifying to Lanie that she didn't like him- Because she didn't- So why the hell could she feel a rush of warmth spread through her body?

Kate tentatively eyed him from her peripheral vision. He didn't even seem fazed.

Clearing her throat, she forced away any more stupid thoughts and focused on the notes in front of them.

"Okay, well our victim was beaten to death in his bed with a baseball bat," she explained, pointing to the crime scene photo. "He rented his home under the name Ben Armstrong, but in our search of his place, we found his bank statements. He had multiple accounts, each with different names, so his real identity remains unknown."

"Ooh, multiple personality disorder. I like it."

"No, Castle. He was a con artist."

"Oh."

"In looking over his financials, we found he had five large deposits in total placed into his accounts over the past six months. We managed to track down those people and in doing so, we discovered that Ben pretended to be a handyman offering cheaper work. With offers too good to be true, they hired him, but the items he was paid to repair ended up being worse for wear and they ended up largely out of pocket. Before they could do anything about it though, Ben would disappear."

Looking up to face him, Kate continued. "His work as a con man seems the most likely reason for his murder."

Gazing over the photos of the suspects, Castle narrowed his eyes mid thought. "So, you're saying that one of these people who paid him for work, killed him?" he further clarified.

"It's the only theory we have, but that's where we come undone. Every single one of them has rock solid alibis."

"Alright. Well, who have you got?" he questioned, preparing for the influx of information he was about to receive.

"First, we have Mr. And Mrs. McCarthy," she began, displaying a photo of the couple. "But they were both on a trip overseas for their fiftieth wedding anniversary. They have passports and statements from the resort they were staying at backing them up."

Returning the image back to the folder, she took out another. "Next, we have Susan Finch. She was at her son's birthday party at the time, with over thirty witness statements that support her claims."

Castle picked up her photo, gazing over it before handing it back to Kate.

"We also have Samantha Withers. She has a broken arm though, so along with her small frame it would have been impossible for her to beat our vic to death."

"And that then leaves Fletcher Peterson. Although, he is in hospital and hardly able to feed himself, so it couldn't have been him either," she finished on a sigh.

Castle shuffled through the images of suspects in front of him, before discovering an image of what appeared to be a father and son that Kate didn't show him. "What about this one? You said that there were five large deposits, so why didn't you mention this guy?"

"That's Mark Duncan, although he died two months ago, so it clearly wasn't him," she explained.

"How did he die?" he questioned, staring at the family photo.

"Ah," she began, looking over her notes, "He was on a small fishing boat he actually paid Ben to repair, although since he didn't do it properly, the boat took on water while they were out. Both he and his twelve year old son, Anthony, drowned."

Kate gave him a moment, before finally speaking up. "So, any insights you would like to share?"

Castle paused briefly, and then answered. "Well, if I was writing it, the murder definitely would have been performed out of anger and vengeance, so I agree that one of these people must have done it," he reported, waving his hand over the suspect images on the table.

"The most important thing when developing a plot, is to make sure that the reader will buy what you're selling them. I mean, what would encourage these seemingly ordinary people to commit such a violent act as murder?" he rhetorically questioned, rotating his head to look at her. "The thing that would make the most sense, would be that the person who killed him, was the person who lost the most."

Rearranging the papers before her, Kate pulled out a photo. "Well, that would be Fletcher Peterson. He lost half of his life savings on Ben's botchy roof repair job."

Castle shook his head and pulled out a different image. "No, it wouldn't. It would be Mark Duncan. He lost his son."

"Yes, but he also lost his own life, Castle. He couldn't have done it," she sighed.

"But just imagine what a great twist that would be," he eagerly continued, directing his attention to Kate. "Here you have a list of suspects, all seemingly incapable of committing the crime. The last person you would suspect would be the one who is dead. It would be the perfect alibi."

"Yes, because he is_ dead_," she sternly stated, sarcastically rolling her eyes. "Look, don't worry about it, okay," she replied, beginning to gather the files.

That's what she got for actually listening to him.

"No, I'm serious! Just let me check something," he quickly spoke, reaching for the papers.

"Castle, this isn't one of your novels," Kate exhaled, sitting back and allowing him to search through the pile. "What you're suggesting is crazy."

"You say crazy, I say genius," he mumbled. Pulling out a document, Castle widened his eyes. "Aha! Look at this. It says right here that Anthony's body was found, but Mark's never was. He was only _presumed _dead."

"Show me that," Kate hurriedly huffed, snatching the paper from his grasp.

Castle was right, but since he was declared to be dead at the time, no one even considered him being a suspect.

Once again looking at the image of Mark and Anthony, Castle noticed something. "Hey, did you say that the murder weapon was a baseball bat?"

"Yeah. Why?" Kate casually queried, eyes remaining focused on the document in her hands.

"Check out this photo. What is his son wearing?"

Kate looked up to the image he was showing her. "A baseball uniform," she whispered in realisation, before lifting her eyes to Castle.

"It totally makes sense," he began, enthused by his discovery. "Ben scams Mark out of his money, says he can repair his boat for an offer he can't refuse. Once his work is done, Mark decides to take the boat out with his son, but of course, because he didn't do it properly, the boat was faulty."

Castle stopped, allowing Kate time to catch on to his theory.

Pausing to take in everything he said, Kate hesitantly continued, eyes locked on the writer. "So, the boat begins to leak, eventually sinks, and they both are in the water -"

"Mark's body was never recovered, so let's just presume that he didn't die. He manages to swim to shore without anyone realising, and once on dry land, he hears confirmation that his son died. Hurt over his loss, he realises that Ben didn't repair the boat efficiently, blames him, and plans to avenge his son-"

No way...

"So, he stays in hiding," Kate eagerly interrupted, ever so slightly leaning into him, "Letting everyone presume that he died with him, knowing that he would therefore never be suspected of Ben's murder-"

Nodding his head as she spoke, Castle quickly interceded, almost unnoticeably slanting towards her. "So he spends the next two months tracking him down, watching, and learning his daily routine-"

"And then when he's ready, he grabs his son's baseball bat, and with nothing left to lose, breaks into our vic's apartment and beats him to death," she spat out, eyes wide with excitement and displaying a large smile.

"All in the name of his son," Castle finished, mirroring her grin.

"That was..."

"Amazing," Castle interjected, enlarging his smile.

Suddenly, as if waking from a slumber, Kate was suddenly struck by his presence. In all their theorising, they somehow managed to pull towards each other without realising, but now, it was glaringly obvious. Sitting next to each other, their grinning faces were only inches apart.

On an impulse unbeknown to her, Kate had the rapid urge to let her eyes flicker downwards, gaze upon his li-

No. What the hell was she doing? Focus, Kate. Eyes up. Keep those damn, wandering eyes up. But they were close, _way_ too close...

Abruptly, almost as if Castle too had the same realisation, they simultaneously leaned back, eyes wide.

Both hurriedly stood, Castle erupting into some sort of coughing fit and Kate rapidly trying to gather her files from the table.

"Oh, look at the time," Castle fumbled, looking at his watch and attempting to compose himself. "I- ah, I need to go meet Alexis, so I better get going."

Now holding her files in a pathetic excuse of a pile, Kate nervously nodded her head. "Yeah, I guess I should probably see if I can find anything on Mark," she replied, patting the stack in her hands.

Seriously. When had this suddenly become so awkward?

"Well, ah, good luck with that," he nodded with a wide expression still covering his face.

"Yeah, thanks," she mumbled. "And you have fun with Alexis."

Idiot. Just shut up and leave. Now.

"Okay, see you, Castle," she managed to reply before spinning around in search of the door.

"Yeah, bye," she heard him rapidly reply, before she exited onto the busy streets, merging with the crowd.

Quickly turning at the nearest corner, Kate stopped and took a gasp of fresh air. It was adrenaline. That's all it was. She simply got caught up in the theorising, and was taken aback by his closeness.

Justifying her thoughts, Kate shook her head and let out a huff, before beginning the journey back to the precinct.

* * *

**Just wanted to say a massive thanks to everyone for your feedback on the last chapter. It was absolutely amazing!**

**BareWriter**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

**A/N: Okay, I re-uploaded this chapter, so hopefully it works...**

* * *

Taking off her robe, Kate cautiously dipped her toes into the cast-iron bathtub. Deciding that the temperature was just right, she slowly sank into the warm water, allowing her body to be consumed by the mass of bubbles.

Letting out a sigh, she leaned back and permitted her muscles to relax. Castle was due over in only a few hours, but this was what she needed; time to decompress before he enforced his way back into her home. Her head.

With a teasing glance on her face, Kate reached over the side of the tub and picked up her copy of _Storm Clearing. _

Yes, it was his novel, but still. There was nothing wrong enjoying his work.

Removing her bookmark, she opened up to the page where she last left off, almost half way through the novel, and began to read. It didn't take long before she forgot all that was clouding her mind, as she was soon engrossed by the story that came alive on the pages.

* * *

Knocking on her apartment door, Castle shuffled his feet, tightly holding his crotch.

"Kate! Kate, it's me!" he urgently knocked. "Kate, please open your door. I know I'm not meant to be here for another two hours, but I'm busting!"

If he had to be honest with himself, he didn't even know why he was there. His aim was to leave his loft to escape from Paula, so he needed somewhere to go, and fast.

She was simply the first person he thought of. Not that he thought about her all the time, but- He had to go over later anyway, so it made sense.

"Seriously, Kate!" he pleaded, resting his head against the wooden frame. "Have you ever been to the Niagara Falls? Cause you're going to have your own version outside your door if you don't hurry up!"

He looked around in desperation, almost as if he was expecting her to magically appear in the hallway.

"Pleeeaaaase!" he finally begged, adding another distressed knock on her door.

In his hast to leave his place, not once did he consider that she wouldn't be home. It was stupid really, since she practically lived at the precinct.

He was in agony though, and his bladder was on the verge of exploding. There was no way he would make it back to the loft in this condition.

Squeezing his eyes shut and crossing his legs, Castle knew what he had to do. He had no other option.

"Okay, if you're home and just ignoring me, please don't hurt me, but I had a key cut."

He waited for her to storm to the door, or even just yell at him, but he got no response. "I know you said no, but I made an executive decision. It was purely done for safety reasons, but-" he seriously was going to wet himself. "Look, if you can please just open the door," he finally yelled.

Hearing nothing but silence, Castle fumbled through his key chain. Eventually finding the right key, he placed it in her lock and turned the handle.

Out of all the stupid things he's done in his life, this one was right up there. But she didn't have to know. He could just sneak in, quickly go to the bathroom, and then he would be gone. Simple.

Pushing the door open, he almost collapsed into her apartment, throwing his keys on her table and dumping his laptop bag to the floor.

Looking around, Castle began to panic. Bathroom, bathroom. Where on earth was it? He didn't need to use it the last time he came, so he had absolutely no clue.

Choosing the closest door, he briefly swung it open before hurriedly slamming it shut. It was her bedroom, and he wasn't stupid enough to go in there.

Quickly darting his gaze, he sighted another possibility. Running towards it, he turned the handle and almost cried in relief as his eyes locked on the porcelain bowl sent from heaven.

Hurrying his way over, he pulled down his zipper and let his pants pool around his ankles, before he finally released his bladder.

"Ah..." he sighed, closing his eyes at the sensation.

Best feeling in the world.

His reverie was suddenly broken, however, by a loud shriek. "Argh! Oh my God! What the hell are you doing?" he heard someone squeal nearby.

"Wha-what?"

Rick turned around and briefly searched the small room, before his eyes locked on Kate Beckett.

Naked, Kate Beckett.

Sitting in her bathtub.

Naked.

She hurriedly crowded her knees up to her chest, before frantically attempting to gather as many bubbles as possible to shield her body.

He was trying to get what happened at Remys out of his head. Get _her_ out of his head, but this would definitely not help that plan. He swallowed, but his mouth was suddenly dry. Every fibre in his body was screaming at him that it was wrong, that he should be desperate to look away, but he couldn't.

With her hair tied up in a bun, her neck was exposed, her skin looking soft and inviting. Letting his eyes drift along the long, wet lines of her collarbones, Castle swallowed, before allowing his gaze dropped even further. He could barely see the soft curves of her breasts, ever so slightly peaking over the collection of bubbles-

"Castle! Get out!" she shrieked, bringing her arms up to further cover her chest.

"I'm so sorry," he began, snapping out of his spell. "I-I knocked, but you didn't answer, and I-toilet-and you're naked and-" he mumbled.

He could hardly string a sentence together.

"Castle, would pull your pants up!"

"W-what?" he began, before looking down at his bare legs. "Oh, right," he nervously fumbled, barely managing to move his muscles to pull his boxers up. "I didn't mean to, I promise-"

"Castle, just get out!"

"Yes, I'm going," he informed, struggling to keep his eyes on anything but her.

He quickly took a step backwards, but walked straight into her basin, knocking over her toiletries.

"Oh, basin there," he nervously mumbled, clumsily attempting to gather the fallen items. "I'm leaving, I swear," he anxiously informed, catching her gaze for extra reassurance.

That was when his eyes finally locked on something other than her nakedness. Something floating in the water.

"Is that- Is that my book?" he queried, the surprise in his tone obvious.

Looking down, Kate quickly scrambled to grab the soaked novel, keeping one arm across her chest. "No!" she defended strongly. Looking back up to the writer, she further drew her eyebrows in a frown. "Castle, would you stop looking and shut your eyes?"

"Why, you're not going to shoot me or anything are you?" he innocently asked, slapping his hands over his vision.

"Do I look like I have my gun on me?" she sarcastically questioned, her voice slightly rising.

Genuinely concerned, Rick lowered his left hand and cautiously peaked through his eye to check.

"God, Castle. That wasn't an invitation to look. Just get out!"

"Yes. Right away," he fumbled, squeezing his eyes shut.

With his suit pants still gathered at his ankles, Castle did his best to waddle his way to the door. However, finding movement difficult, he blindly reached for his fallen piece of clothing, "I'll just-pull-ah-woah-"

Having his eyes closed and pulling his pants up, all while trying to make an exit, was not the smartest move, and Castle tripped, and subsequently fell into the end of the bath.

"Argh! I have bubbles in my eyes. Oh the pain! Ew, they're even in my mouth!" he slurred amongst the water.

"Castle! Out! Now!" she squealed, crowding as far away from him as she could.

"Yes, yes of course," he stated, lifting his head from the soapy water and displaying an artistic arrangement of bubbles on his head and chin.

Castle quickly pushed himself out of the bath, and grabbing a firm grip on his pants, hurriedly stood. Moving as quickly as his wet pants would allow, he scurried to the door, before finally exiting.

"Castle!"

"Yes?" he cautiously enquired, returning to the edge of the room.

"The door!"

"Yes, of course. Right. Sorry," he mumbled, before firmly closing the door behind him.

* * *

Wet and sitting on her couch, Castle waited for Kate to emerge from the bathroom. Where he just walked in on her. Naked.

Jeez. The fact that he didn't have any bullet holes in him was truly a miracle.

Hearing the door open, he hesitantly looked up to find a very cross, but very dressed Kate.

Initially ignoring him, she made her way to the kitchen table, holding his water-logged novel. Placing it down, she opened up the pages and fanned it out.

Castle couldn't help but let out a small grin, as he watched her from his peripheral vision, attempting to salvage the novel.

Mumbling to herself, she exhaled a deep breath, before spinning around to face him.

"Okay, I'm really sorry," he began to explain as she stalked towards him, "I swear, I had no idea you were home, let alone in there all naked, and wet and- Not my ears!" he pleaded, covering the sides of his head.

Pausing, Kate pulled her hand back and instead crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Castle, what are you doing here?"

He swallowed. She was a detective who interrogated murderers for a living. He was in big trouble.

"Well," he hesitantly began, "I was writing at home, but Paula was on her way to tell me off for something, so I decided to leave," explained, pursing his lips and doing his best attempt at an innocent face.

"And you came here?"

"Yes. You see, my thought process was that I was meant to come over anyway, so I figured it was the most practical place to flee to," he calmly explained. "However, in my rush to escape the loft I didn't get a chance to use the bathroom, so by the time I got here I was busting. The rest, well, I think you remember."

She wasn't impressed, so Castle offered extra reassurance.

"I didn't see anything, I promise."

Kate stood in front of him, seemingly revising his explanation. All of a sudden, her eyebrows drew together in a frown, and her eyes widened.

"And how did you get in exactly? I clearly remember locking the door."

Damn. He was hoping she might have missed that small detail.

Castle scratched the back of his neck and averted her gaze. "I, ah, I might have a copy of your key," he tentatively mumbled.

"You what? Castle, how do you have a key?"

"Well, I simply borrowed your key chain for a brief amount of time, no big deal. It's just that when you said no, I figured your judgement was a bit clouded."

"Oh, I'm sure of it," she sarcastically mumbled.

She would understand. He just had to explain it as rationally as possible.

"No, I'm serious," he began, rising to his feet and ready to defend his actions. "And I swear on my life that despite how bad it looks, when I first made the suggestion, those were not my motives," he clarified, waving his arm in the direction of the bathroom. "I just wanted to make sure you were going to be safe, that's all."

"Castle, I can defend myself. I told you that," she reiterated.

"I know, but," Castle considered his words, and then his eyes widened. "What would have happened if you were held hostage by a psychotic stalker?" he eagerly began, "And you sent me a secret signal to tell me you were in danger, and-"

"Secret signal?" she curiously interceded.

"We would have figured out those technicalities later," he casually dismissed. "The point is though, that if I didn't have a key, I wouldn't have been able to get in to rescue you," he finished, pleased with his justification.

Absorbing his words, Kate curiously tilted her head to the side. "So you're saying that the whole speech last week about giving you a key, was to provide you with the opportunity to come and personally rescue me?" she questioned, clearly surprised.

Oh. He didn't mean it like that when he _first_ suggested it, but-

"No," he quickly fumbled. "When I said rescue you, I meant by calling the police, and then giving _them_ your key. You know, just looking out for your door. Wouldn't want it to be forced open and smashed into little bits now, would we?" he nervously chuckled, looking over at the object in question. "Prime piece of wood, that is," he mumbled with an uneasy nod.

He was a writer. Seriously. You would have thought he could have spat out something better than that.

Turning back to face her, Castle continued. "Besides, I knocked numerous times and you didn't respond, so considering I thought it to be rude to relieve myself in your building's hallway, I let myself in. It seemed like the better option at the time, okay," he explained, hoping she'd see his rationality to the situation.

"Couldn't you have just held on? You said that if I gave you a key, you would only use it for emergencies."

"This was an emergency. Just a bladder emergency!" he hurriedly clarified.

Receiving no further arguments from her, Castle dropped his gaze, before reviewing his previous statement. "Wait. Why didn't you respond?"

Kate suddenly widened her eyes and spun around, attempting to look occupied. "Ah, I guess I just didn't hear you," she mumbled, rearranging her magazines on the coffee table. "I was, well-"

"Thaaaat's right," Castle grinned, suddenly remembering her floating copy of _Storm Clearing_. "Oh no, don't worry, Detective, you don't have to explain it to me. I understand, you were just so engrossed in my novel that there was no way you could have heard me at the door," he theatrically stated, wiggly his eyebrows.

Kate straightened her posture and offered him a glare, before she let out a sigh. "Fine, I read your novels," she said, raising her arms before letting them drop against her sides. "There, I've admitted it. Are you happy now?"

Castle didn't say anything, instead all of his words were expressed through the large grin plastered on his face.

Unamused, Kate rolled her eyes, before holding out her hand. "Give me the key, Castle."

Fishing through his pocket, Castle retrieved the small metal item and placed it in her hand, before she walked off.

Watching her, he cleared his throat. "Look, if you're not doing anything, do you mind if I just stay here for a bit? Or even if you are doing something, I can just sit here. I have my laptop, so I can entertain myself. You won't even notice me, I promise."

Kate abruptly stopped, and turned around to face him. "You really want to hide out in my apartment?"

"Yes, but I look at it more as spending time with you, which conveniently allows me to avoid someone else."

Kate slowly prowled towards him. "Oh, so I see how it is. First you break and enter..."

"Ah, that's not exactly how I would describe it-" he disagreed, comically narrowing his eyes.

"Then you expose yourself..."

"Oh, now come on-"

"And then you practically force yourself on me while I 'm naked in my bath. There are multiple offenses I could charge you with right there."

"Come on, Kate. Seriously, please. I really am sorry about that whole thing. To make it up to you I can even get you a new copy of _Storm Clearing."_

Kate's head snapped up at his offer, and she hesitantly chewed her lip. "Fine."

Quickly coming to her senses though, she pressed on. "But I've got work to do, so not a word."

"Understood," he replied.

"And no more keys," she sternly reiterated.

"Won't happen again," he cautiosuly smiled.

Kate stood there and provided him with one last glare, before spinning around and heading back to her desk.

* * *

**I'm so glad you guys seem to be enjoying this, as I'm having so much fun writing it! Please let me know what you think.**

**BareWriter**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

* * *

Hearing a knock on the door, Rick quickly wiped his hands against his novelty apron.

"I'm coming, hold on!" he called, giving his ingredients one last stir, before he hurriedly made his way to the person on the other side.

With a wide grin plastered on his face, he eagerly pulled open the door. "Bonjourno, my dear- Kate?" he greeted, struck with confusion.

"Castle?" she questioned with a curious glance.

"Ah, sorry, I thought you were Alexis," he clarified. "You're early."

"No, I'm not, actually," she responded, looking at her watch. "I'm about ten minutes late."

"Oh, I guess I lost track of time," he replied with a shy smile.

Standing opposite her, Castle watched as Kate slowly gazed over his attire, before she paused, eyes fixed on something. "Kiss the cook?" she queried with a raise of her eyebrow.

"What?" Confused, Castle lowered his head, before his eyes drifted over the large words printed across his torso.

Oh-

"You don't, you don't have to do that," he quickly clarified. "I'm wearing it cause it was a Father's Day present from Alexis, not because of-"

Sucking in a deep breath, Castle let out a sigh and stepped aside. "Come in."

With a nod of her head and a slight curve of her lips, Kate made her way through the loft. Placing her paperwork on the kitchen island, she nonchalantly pulled out a stool.

"You're actually cooking?" she questioned, getting herself comfortable in the seat.

"Yeah, why?" he enquired, strolling towards the stove top.

"I just didn't think you had it in you," she casually informed with a shrug, opening up her files.

"Ah, Detective, there are many hidden talents behind this handsome exterior," he responded in his best attempt at an Italian accent.

"And clearly talking in Italian isn't one of them," she dryly mumbled. "What's with that, anyway?"

"Well, I'm making my famous Italian bolognaise," he explained, grasping a large spoon. "And for the best results, it's essential to immerse yourself in the experience," he further informed, giving his creation a sensational stir.

Attempting to sound completely professional, he narrowed his eyes and overdramatically waved his free hand above the saucepan. "That's how we experts create our culinary masterpieces," he finished, closing his eyes as he inhaled the scent of the simmering ingredients in front of him.

Trying to contain her amusement, Kate shook her head, before turning her attention to the notes in front of her.

* * *

Placing the last of his chopped ingredients in the saucepan, Castle once again looked over to Kate. While he had been cooking, he tentatively watched her. Not for long periods of time, but just for a few seconds here and there, all while she was in deep concentration.

Currently, she was thoughtfully reading the information displayed on the page, her lips shaping out the words as her eyes glanced over them. Although, his favourite part occurred every three minutes or so, when she would seemingly become frustrated and subsequently draw her eyebrows in a tight frown and slightly chew her lip.

Castle smiled to himself. Being so immersed in her work, she was oblivious of him, allowing her little quirks to be on display.

As intriguing as he found it, however, he looked over to the high stack of papers he presumed she was yet to get to. He realised her work was important to her, he really did, but he made a decision.

She needed a break.

He took one last glance at her, before he made his way to the kitchen cupboards. "You know, I've come up with a theory," he mischievously began, searching for the ingredients he was after.

"Oh, please, do enlighten me," she mumbled with disinterest, turning over a page.

"Well, with all of this paperwork you do, it can't be healthy for our relationship," he flippantly offered.

"Excuse me?" she questioned, her head now up and directed at him.

"It's true. All the attention you give it, I can't help but feel a little neglected," he responded, placing a hand over his heart.

Kate gave him a quizzical look, and opened and closed her mouth as she attempted to construct a reasonable reply. "There are so many things I disagree with in those comments that I'm not even going to respond," she said, narrowing her eyes unbelievingly.

Castle let out a chuckle and made his way back to the bench top. "You know, I would love to date me," he optimistically reflected.

Looking up, Castle caught her glare.

She obviously held a differing opinion.

"Oh, come on, now. I haven't been that bad."

"Castle, the past three weeks have been the longest of my life."

"Well, you look perfectly fine to me," he noted, before being struck by a realisation. "Hey, you're right, though, it has been three weeks."

Holding out his hands, he used his fingers for a quick calculation, as he tilted his head in thought. "Three weeks _exactly,_ actually-" he mumbled to himself.

All of a sudden, Castle let out a dramatic gasp and turned to Kate, his eyes wide. "It's our three week anniversary," he smiled.

"Oh my-" Kate immediately narrowed her eyes. "You're kidding me, right?" she unbelievingly questioned.

"See. You should stop your paperwork for the sake of this momentous occasion. I can't possibly see how our relationship could survive otherwise," he nonchalantly responded, mischievously twisting his lips.

Kate dropped her pen and crossed her arms. "Are you seriously trying to use our fake relationship to guilt me out of doing paperwork?"

"Yes. Yes I am," he replied, gripping a jar of tomato pasta sauce, "But only because you do it all the time."

Castle watched as Kate stared at him, weighing up her options.

Receiving no response, he continued. "What if you come and stir my bolognaise for me, while I use my highly muscular arms to open this jar?" he offered, attempting to loosen the item's lid.

Ignoring his suggestion, Kate instead pounced on his choice of words. "Highly muscular?" she questioned with a teasing tone, referencing to his clear struggles.

Unfazed, Castle bit down on his lower lip. "I'm just a bit out of practice. They simply need time to warm up a bit," he grunted.

Kate watched him, before letting out an amused grin. "You sure it's not too much for you, Castle?"

"Nah, don't worry. I've got it covered."

He was struggling.

"Castle, you've gotta run it under some hot water. Loosen it up a bit."

"Please, there is no way that would work. I can do it, trust me," he reassured her with a smile on his face, before spinning around. With his expression now hidden from her view, Castle scrunched up his face and desperately twisted at the lid.

Letting out a forceful grunt, he wasn't even trying to straighten out the creases in his forehead anymore. "Argh."

He could feel the skin slowly stripping off his palms, but he was determined. There was no way he was giving up, and most definitely not in front of _her_. The unspoken laws of manliness simply would not allow him.

Regrouping, Castle loosened his grip and closed his eyes. This was ridiculous. He was only trying to open a jar for goodness sake. He could do this.

Grabbing a tea towel for extra grip, he used all of his remaining energy and began to purely will the jar to open.

Apparently tired of watching him struggle, Kate lifted from the stool and walked over to him. "Castle, you're probably just going to reinjure your wrist. Give it here," she sighed, before she grabbed the jar and made her way towards the sink.

"Seriously, it's just completely stuck," he justified, watching her as she placed the item under the tap. "There's no point even trying, I mean it's probably one of hundreds in a faulty batch, or-"

It opened.

"Huh," he sighed, unbelieving that it actually worked. "Great team work, I guess."

Trying to hide her grin, Kate held the jar and its now separated lid out in front of him.

"What?" he questioned.

"Nothing," she teasingly shrugged, before placing the detached items on the bench.

"Yeah, well I loosened it," he informed.

"I didn't say anything."

"Yes, you were not saying anything very loudly," he responded as he tipped the contents into the pan.

Letting out a chuckle, Kate stepped aside him and grasped the spoon resting in the mixture, before giving it a stir.

Apparently hearing his unspoken curiosity, Kate offered him a soft glare. "I'm only doing this out of sympathy for your palms."

Briefly looking over to her abandoned paperwork, Castle let out a smile.

"Well, thank you," he replied, collecting a pile of vegetable scraps.

Closing the lid on the bin, he looked up to find her dipping a finger in the edge of the saucepan, before bringing it to her lips.

"What do you think?" he nervously questioned. "Mind you, it's not quite ready yet. I mean, if you just waited a bit longer for the ingredients to simmer and infuse with each other..." he elaborated, watching in anticipation as she narrowed her eyes in thought.

Turning to face him, she let out a shrug. "Hmm, it's okay. Maybe a little bit salty," before returning to her stirring.

"A little salty?" Castle questioned, unbelieving. "Let me taste that," he said, covering his finger in the deep red sauce.

"This is delicious. Try some more," he instructed, eyes fixed on the pan. "You just probably didn't get the whole spread of flavours, so-" Looking up at her, Castle paused.

She was grinning at him. Oh-

"That so wasn't funny," he sighed with a shake of his head.

Kate didn't even try to hold back her laugh this time. "Really? Cause where I'm standing that was hilarious."

"You're mean," he retorted, wiping down the bench top and standing next to her.

Slowly straightening out her smile, Kate continued to stir. "Your sauce is actually surprisingly good, Castle."

"That's because of this," he smiled, holding up a colourful, laminated sheet of paper.

"What is it?"

"A Castle family tradition," he replied, placing it in front of her.

Picking up the sheet, Kate smiled. "_Alexis and Daddy's secret bolognaise recipe_," she read aloud. "This is adorable. How old was your daughter when you made this?"

"About five," he informed, gazing over the decorated page. "I thought I lost it, but I was going through the shelves today and there it was, so I thought I'd make it for all times sake. She's going to love it."

Catching her curious glance, he elaborated. "She went through this stage where she was determined that she wanted to be a chef. Her favourite meal at the time was spaghetti bolognaise, so every weekend we would invent different bolognaise sauces, interchanging the ingredients every time. After many attempts, she finally decided that this recipe was the best, and it soon became a household favourite. She considered it essential for us to set the dining room out as a restaurant, and we would have to arrange all of her teddies out, which of course were our customers," he reflected with a chuckle.

"But now the recipe has a few more stains on it, the teddies are gone, and my little girl is growing up," he sighed.

Coming out of his reminiscence, Castle shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm probably boring you."

"No," she quickly interceded. "It's sweet."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's quite refreshing actually, seeing this different side to you," she cautiously responded with a sigh. "I do have one question, though. If it's a secret, then why would you write out the recipe?"

"Please, give us a bit more credit than that. Just in case this recipe was to get into the wrong hands, we kept three key ingredients off the list."

"So you can still remember them, even after all this time?" she questioned, intrigued.

"Of course. I don't think I could ever forget," he sincerely considered.

"It sounds like she's lucky to have you as a dad," Kate shyly smiled.

Looking up at her, Castle grinned. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but was that just a compliment? If you keep it up, I may get the impression you're starting to tolerate me."

"Don't speak too soon."

"What if I persuade you by letting you in on one of the ingredients?" he offered with a curve of his lips.

"Ooh, willing to spill your secrets, Castle. That's risky," she teased, a playful spark in her eyes.

Castle smiled, but attempted to straighten his features. Acting like it was no big deal, he casually shrugged his shoulders. "Not really. I've seen you naked, so just evening out the score," he replied, pursing his lips.

Watching her mouth open wide, Castle comically narrowed his eyes. "Too soon?"

Grabbing the tea towel left on the bench, Kate threw it at his face. "Castle, you said you didn't see anything!" she growled.

"Argh, spouse abuse!" he chuckled. Noticing the frown still displayed on her face, Castle innocently held up his hands, "I'm joking, I'm joking."

Offering him one last glare, Kate turned back to the pan in front of her.

Clearing his throat, Castle continued to clean up his mess. "You know, if today marks the three week point, it means that we're already halfway through," he cautiously noted, watching to gage her reaction.

Kate looked up. "Three weeks until this is over," she reiterated, eyes locked on his. "I can't wait," she hurriedly replied, quickly dropping her gaze.

Castle widened his eyes and rapidly agreed, nodding his head. "Yeah, neither can I," he reminded himself, before he too looked away.

Hearing the unlocking of the front door, the silence was suddenly broken. "Richard, darling, that smells divine," his mother greeted.

Lifting his head up, Castle watched as both his mother and daughter entered the loft, shopping bags crowding their arms.

"Hey. I thought you were going to be back ages ago."

"Yes, well, the stores just wouldn't allow us to leave," Martha smiled, before noticing the woman standing behind the stove top.

"Ah, you must be Detective Beckett."

"Please, call me Kate," she shyly responded.

Catching his daughter's glare, Castle quickly spoke. "Oh, Kate, this is my mother, Martha, and my daughter, Alexis," he introduced.

"Hi," Alexis waved, standing next to her grandmother.

"So, cooking dinner together," Martha hinted with a quirk of her eyebrows. "That's awfully domestic of you two."

"Oh, no, we're not-" Kate quickly fumbled.

"Mother," Rick quickly warned.

Getting the hint, Martha straightened her smile. "Okay, well, I'm just quickly going to put my bags in my room," she announced before heading to the stairs. "I won't be long."

Watching her grandmother ascend the steps, Alexis made her way to her father. "Hey, Dad," Alexis greeted as she offered her father a kiss on his cheek.

"Hey, Pumpkin. Did you two have fun?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "Is that our secret bolognaise?" Alexis questioned, her excitement bubbling.

"It sure is."

Alexis spotted the recipe resting on the bench. "Where did you find this? I thought we lost it."

"Believe me, so did I," Castle responded.

Placing the recipe back down, Alexis turned to Kate.

"So, has my Dad been behaving?" she questioned.

Kate looked over to Castle with a smile, before turning back to the young red head. "He has his moments," she teased.

"Oh, come on now. And on our anniversary of all days," he moaned with mock disappointment.

Castle could do nothing but watch as the pair shared a chuckle together.

Descending the stairs, Martha re-entered the kitchen. "Is that almost ready, Richard?"

"Yeah, I've just got to put the pasta on, and then I'm done."

"Excellent. So, Kate, are you going to join us?" Martha hinted.

"Oh, no," she quickly declined. "Thank you for the offer, but I have a shift at the precinct." Looking down at her watch, she noted the time. "I should actually get going."

"Oh, what a shame. Well, maybe next time," Martha sighed as Kate worked her way around the bench.

Collecting her work files, Kate turned to the two women. "Well, it was nice to meet you," before focusing back on the writer. "Castle, I guess I will see you next time," she said, before making her way to the door.

Watching her as she pulled open the handle, Castle turned back to the sauce sitting on the stove top.

"Hold on, Kate," he called, quickly running to the cupboards.

Pulling out a container, he generously filled it with the bolognaise, before he jogged to the door.

Securing the lid, Castle held out the container for her. "Here."

"What's this for?" she curiously asked.

"Dinner," he answered. "Well, you've got to boil up some pasta, but you helped make it, so I figure you deserve a share."

Kate looked up at him. "Castle, I just stirred."

"No way. You didn't _just _stir. That's the trickiest part," he confidently replied. "You see, if your stirring abilities weren't up to scratch, then this tastebud extravaganza would have turned out _very_ differently."

He could literally see her mind ticking, so offering further persuasion, he lightly shook the container out in front of him. "Please, just take it," he finally offered in his grand Italian accent.

With a suspicious smirk on her face, Kate tentatively took the container from his grasp. "Thanks."

Castle watched as she held the warm bolognaise, before shifting to make her way to the elevator.

Just as he was about to spin around and head back inside, she called out to him. "Castle?"

"Yeah," he questioned.

Looking over her shoulder, Kate pursed her lips and displayed a teasing smirk, "Happy anniversary," before letting out a chuckle and walking into the elevator.

* * *

**So, massive apologies to everyone for this extremely late update. My studies started up again last week, and I really didn't anticipate how difficult it would be to write, all while trying to study and begin assessments. I genuinely felt terrible, but I had to put this on the side for a bit, just until I was able to get myself organised and into the flow of things. All is good now, so updates will be coming out much quicker than this one. **

**On another note, all the comments that were left for the last chapter were hilarious. I seriously couldn't stop smiling reading your reactions, so thanks :)**

**BareWriter**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

* * *

Striding down the footpath, planting one foot in front of the other, Kate let out a sigh. Today their plans were to eat lunch at a little Italian restaurant. Sounded simple enough, and she had been there before. It wasn't anything too fancy, but the meals were delicious. Despite this, however, Kate cautiously watched the man walking in front of her. He was somewhat eager, a little too excited for a casual lunch. He was almost skipping down the path, a certain smug aura about him.

Rotating her head around, Kate scanned their surroundings. When he initially started leading them, she just figured that he was taking a short cut of sorts. But now, she realised he was leading them in the completely wrong direction.

Stopping, Kate briefly spun around and gazed over the path they just walked. "Castle, where are we going? I'm pretty sure the restaurant was back that way," she informed, pointing behind her.

He wasn't fazed, however, and simply kept on walking. "I know," he casually informed over his shoulder, his pace remaining steady.

She knew it. He was up to something. She just couldn't figure out what.

Placing two hands on her hips, Kate's feet remained firmly planted on the sidewalk. "What do you mean, _you know_?" she questioned, curious, but letting him know he was in trouble at the same time.

Bringing his legs to a halt, Castle twirled around and took a few steps towards her. "I might have made a slight change of plans for today," he cautiously informed, hands deeply immersed in his pockets.

"Oh, did you, now?" she sarcastically questioned, moving her arms to cross in front of her chest.

"Yep, and you're going to love it," he smiled, the self assurance in his decision now radiating through his tone.

"How can you just change the plans?" she queried. "You know Paula is going to kill you."

Castle sarcastically narrowed his eyes. "Please, do I look stupid to you?"

Oh, there were so many ways she could answer that question, but instead, she remained silent and simply raised an eyebrow.

Catching on to her unspoken taunt, Castle quickly conceded. "Ah, maybe don't answer that," he mumbled. "Don't worry, I ran it by her first. It took a large amount of convincing, but once she spoke to her guy in the press and he said he loved it, so did Paula."

"What about _me_? Why didn't you run it by me first?" she retorted.

"Because," he began, eyes wide with excitement, "That's why I came up with this. It's a surprise for you."

Kate chewed the inside of her cheek. "Castle, I don't like surprises."

"How can you not-" he began, astonished over her admission. Kate watched in apathy as a new wave of determination encased his face. "Now you've definitely got no choice," he informed, straightening his shoulders slightly. "Come on," he encouraged, inviting her to walk by his side.

Kate took a moment to watch him as he stood in the middle of the sidewalk, just waiting for her. She fought an internal battle with herself, the stubborn side of her wanting to tell him that he was being ridiculous, and they should just go to lunch. Her other side, however, was telling her to just give him this, and remove the unsureness she could see displayed in his eyes.

After all, he was seemingly doing this for her, which was kind of sweet. And he was right. At the end of the day, she really did have no choice.

Letting out an eye roll in defeat, Kate stepped up next to him. "Where are you taking me?"

Castle displayed a beaming grin as they fell into a synchronised stride. "I'm taking you to one of the coolest places ever. Trust me, you are going to have so much fun."

"You're not dragging me to some celebrity luncheon are you?" she huffed.

"Quite the opposite actually," he finished with a quirk of his eyebrows.

* * *

Holding the large map in front of her, Kate gazed over the exhibits they had visited. Letting out a chuckle under her breath, she turned to Castle. "I still can't believe you chose the museum."

"Why? It's the most obvious choice for a fun day out."

"You really enjoy it here, don't you?"

He turned and gave her an eager nod of his head.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but we've been here for hours. We're going to have to go soon."

"What? But we haven't seen everything yet!"

"Castle, this place is huge. There's no way we could get through it all."

Receiving a pout from him, Kate chuckled. "You're such a big kid."

"Come on, we're near The Saurischian dinosaur hall. We have to say hi to Rexy before we go."

"Rexy?" she questioned as he strode off in front of her.

Now standing in front of the T-Rex, Castle cleared his throat and pointed to the large bone structure. "Dinosaurs by far, are the most fascinating of creatures. Their unique, upright stance was a key evolutionary innovation, allowing them to hold their hind legs vertically under their hips-"

Humoured by his performance, Kate drew her eyebrows together and pursed her lips, grabbing his attention.

"That- That was my David Attenborough," he comically fumbled. Receiving no verbal response from Kate, Castle continued. "I'll keep working on it."

"You must admit though, dinosaurs are pretty amazing," Castle once again spoke, gazing over the giant room they were immersed in. "I mean, how could you not love them? They are like the real life version of dragons. Oh," he gasped, eyes and smile wide. "I've got a dinosaur joke for you, are you ready?"

"No, but we both know you're going to tell me anyway," she mumbled.

"Hmm, good point," he quickly considered. "Okay, what do you call a blind dinosaur?"

Kate shrugged. "I don't know."

"I-don't-think-he-saw-us," he replied, with a look of awe on his face for extra dramatic effect.

Kate attempted to contain her laugh, but it was soon seeping out of her curved lips. "Castle, that was terrible," she chuckled.

"Yeah," he agreed with a smile, "Although at least I made you laugh," he flippantly informed, before turning to another display.

His admission caught her off guard, and with his attention elsewhere, Kate took a second to sneak a glance at him.

She sucked in a breath, and with her curiosity levels now peaked, she sunk her teeth into her lower lip.

"Hey, Castle-"

"Yeah?" he replied, turning to face her.

She paused and opened and closed her mouth, attempting to force the words passed her lips.

Letting out a sigh, she finally spoke. "Why me?"

"What do you mean?" he questioned as he directed them to the next exhibit.

"Why did Paula choose for you to go on dates with me? I mean, I know she figured it out when you hurt your wrist and all, but I didn't exactly think I was your type," she tentatively began, before quickly reviewing her words. "Well, the type that the press would believe to be your type-" she hurriedly clarified.

"I know what you mean," Castle interrupted, raising a hand in reassurance. "Being a public figure, there's a certain image you have to uphold. The person who you see in the papers going on dates, that's not me. Those women more specifically, they aren't for me. And that's why Paula chose you. For once she was trying to give me what I asked for," he sighed.

Keeping her eyes focused on the path in front of her, Kate refrained from looking at him. "And what was that?"

She waited for an answer as Castle took his time and swallowed. "Someone real."

With that, she turned to face him, and realised immediately that she made a mistake. He didn't just look at her, but through her, his seemingly genuine gaze stinging her own.

"But I also asked for someone who would tell me how brilliant I was, be charmed by my good looks. Oh, and also have a TV, so she clearly didn't listen," he joked with a teasing sigh.

With the heaviness thankfully broken, Kate sucked in a breath, before he continued. "What about you? What classifies as Detective Kate Beckett's type?"

"Ah, I don't really have a type, but most of my ex boyfriends have been from the job."

"You've only dated cops?"

"Well, since I joined, yeah," she responded matter-of-factly. "Work tends to keep me pretty busy, so I don't really have time for that extracurricular stuff."

"Extracurricular stuff?" he repeated with a humorous sense of disbelief. "Kate, these are relationships we're talking about. _Love._"

"Since when were you an expert?" she questioned as they made their way to the Hall of Vertebrate Origins. "Haven't you been divorced twice?"

"Yes, but they simply weren't the right women. Doesn't mean I'm just going to give up on it all together. I like to believe that there is someone out there for me," he thought out loud. "A soul mate."

Kate was quick to offer her opinion. "I don't believe in soul mates," she said, full of confidence.

"Oh, my- Your words continue to shock me!" he turned to her casually, mouth agape.

"Well, I've experienced enough in life not to believe in magic."

It was true, between her personal life and her job, she had been through a lot. Despite her honesty though, her comment was casual enough though not to draw too much attention to herself.

"That's a shame," Castle responded with an overdramatic sigh. "I guess that means I won't be introducing you to my pet unicorn then," he mumbled, before turning to Kate with a curve of his lips.

Kate looked up at him and chuckled, before slightly nudging him with her elbow. "Come on, help me find the exit."

* * *

Making their way through the crowed and seemingly endless staircases, they eventually made it back to the front of the museum.

Looking through the entry as they approached, Castle let out a sigh.

Following his gaze, Kate finally saw them. Crowded on the streets outside the front was a large mob, cameras ready, and attempting to be contained by museum security.

"Castle, are they?"

"Yep. Oh, man," he grunted, rubbing a hand down his face. "It's going to be hell walking through that. I knew we were gaining more attention, but I've never seen the press like this before. " He let out a sigh. "I don't understand. Paula said that she had a deal with them. As long as she kept tipping them off, they would keep their distance."

He looked around, seemingly weighing up his options before he straightened his posture. With a knowing smile hinting a sense of adventure, he turned back to her. "You know what? We should make a break for it."

"What?" Kate questioned, shocked at his suggestion.

"Run away. Cut them loose. Escape the shackles-"

"Castle, I know what you mean," she interrupted. "You want to run away from the press?"

"Yes," he nodded confidently.

"Why? We could always try another exit."

"Stop being too rational and live a little. It's not like you're going to be breaking any laws."

"Castle, they're only going to chase us," she sighed, looking back to the eager pack. "I don't think it's a good idea."

"Don't over think it."

"That's not what I'm doing."

"Oh, I get it," he taunted, lifting his head up and placing his hands in his pockets. "You're chicken."

Kate dryly rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not chicken, Castle," she reinforced.

"Nah, it's okay. I understand," he mumbled with a shrug of his shoulders, pursing his lips and awaiting her reaction. "You're just no fun."

Kate chewed her lip. She knew exactly what he was doing, trying to bate her into agreeing. That wasn't a surprise. But what did surprise her however, was the part of her that was urging her to agree. The part of her that she had buried over the years, that was now speaking out, encouraging her to just let go and say yes.

She didn't know what it was about him, but something in the way he looked at her with that mischievous grin, teasing glint in his eye, finally persuaded her. The last thing she wanted was to let him win, give him the satisfaction of successfully weaselling his way into convincing her, but-

"All right, you're on," she breathed, now fully determined.

She watched as his head flicked to hers, with a look of genuine surprise on his face. "What?"

"Let's do it," she reiterated with a firm nod of her head.

"Really?" he further questioned, still unable to believe she agreed.

"Yep, so let's go."

Kate pursed her lips as his face broke out into a large smile. "This is going to be so awesome," he grinned, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

Looking around, Castle quickly assessed the area. "Okay, but if we're going to do this, we need to be smart about it. Instead of just running, we need to think of a way to sneak past them somehow..."

Kate kept her gaze on him as his eyes lit up and he turned to her with a smile. "There's only one place to go."

She raised her eyebrow, unsure of where his thoughts were running to and waited for him to enlighten her.

"The gift shop."

* * *

Fixing the soft dinosaur cap on his head, Castle turned to Kate. "Are you ready for this?"

"Castle, we look ridiculous," she replied, standing in front of him and sporting a woolly mammoth cap.

He attempted to contain his chuckle as he looked at her, undoubtedly adorable in her- No. Concentrate, Castle. He needed to concentrate on their mission.

Clearing his throat, he waved his arm for her to follow. "Just have a little faith," he whispered.

"Faith has nothing to do with this," she replied just as softly, following his actions.

"Don't worry. We've totally got this," he reassured in a hush, cautiously making his way to the front entrance.

"Castle, these caps are about three sizes too small. They hardly fit our heads and I'm pretty sure we're only drawing more attention to ourselves," she firmly whispered, slouching over. Straightening her back, Kate looked at him. "Wait- Why are we whispering?"

"To ensure that no one overhears our top secret plans," he replied, eyes darting.

Kate stepped back and scanned the area. "Castle, I don't think anyone can hear us."

Castle shot her a look and took another step. "Stop complaining. Our caps are our cover, so you have to show them some respect." Channelling his inner James Bond, he pressed forward, leaning against the wall.

He was making progress, ninjas around the world would have been proud, when he was suddenly jerked upright by a tug on his collar.

"This isn't a spy movie, Castle," she informed with a roll of her eyes.

Straightening up, Castle offered her a nod. "Okay, sorry, I got a bit excited. Let's go."

Making their way over the threshold of the entry, they hurriedly walked side by side down the concrete steps.

Passing the mob of paparazzi, they both began to power walk. "Act discrete," he whispered, keeping his head as low as possible.

"I am acting discrete!" she retorted.

Finally reaching the last step, Castle cautiously lifted his head and took a chance to sneak a glance behind them.

"We actually did it," he smiled, proud of their efforts. "Man, those guys are so dumb," he chuckled.

His joy was soon cut short however, as his eyes locked with those of a shortish man holding a camera.

He could see him squint, taking a few steps forward to grab a closer look.

"Hey, is that them?" the man at the top of the stairs yelled.

Suddenly, the whole group of press turned around and faced them.

"Uh-oh. Castle-" Kate began to warn.

"Richard Castle, Detective Beckett?" a woman called, now determinedly striding her way towards them.

"Castle, what do we do now?"

The hoard were now jogging their way towards them, cameras flashing and questions thrown their way.

"_Mr. Castle, is it third time lucky?"_

"_Detective Beckett, have you tamed New York's Bad Boy?"_

"_Rick, give her a kiss for us!"_

Watching as the mass hurriedly began to close their distance, Castle looked over to Kate and made a split decision. "We run!"

Grabbing her hand, he spun around and darted to his right, pulling her to follow.

"Where are we going?" she yelled, as they sprinted hand in hand.

"I don't know, just keep running!"

Weaving through the crowd, he dodged them around the various obstacles that came their way, refusing to release her grip.

Amongst the shouts of people yelling at them to watch out and questioning what was wrong with them, Castle could still hear the questions from those chasing them.

"_Rick, are your playboy days over?"_

"_Can you confirm your relationship?"_

"They're still following us, Castle," Kate informed. Letting out a puffed chuckle, Kate pulled on his hand. "Come on, you've gotta run faster!"

"I am running faster!" he managed to huff, admittedly becoming a little breathless. "Just not as fast as you obviously! Maybe if you slowed down a little?"

"Not a chance!" she chuckled. "This was your idea and we haven't lost them yet."

They ran past a fruit stall, Castle almost colliding with a display of oranges before he caught a slight opening to their left.

"Quick, go down here."

Making a sharp turn, Castle tugged her to follow as he led them to a discrete alleyway.

Using the opportunity to catch their breaths, they both stopped and leaned against the large brick wall. Standing side by side, they remained there, sucking in rapid breaths as they waited to see if their pursuers followed.

"Oh my God, I think I broke my lungs," he heaved, turning his head to face Kate, his cheek resting against the rough surface. "I'm seriously about to die."

Instead of getting a glare or an eye roll from her however, she turned to him and laughed between breaths. Mirroring his stance, her chest was rising and falling, but her smile was wide, teeth flashing.

Castle watched in awe as she laughed, soaking up the honest joy she was emitting while displaying one of the most glorious, care free smiles he's ever seen in his life.

Captivated, he laughed with her, both heads resting against the brick wall and facing each other.

"I think we lost them," she heaved, her head remaining still.

"Yeah," he sighed, before suddenly becoming aware of the warm mass enclosed in his palm.

Looking down, he found his hand sealed to hers, both encapsulated in a firm grasp.

Castle's breath caught. It wasn't about the touch. No, it was about crossing the unspoken boundary they had set between them.

Neither was applying any pressure, but there they were, simply holding hands, and she hadn't let go yet.

But then neither had he.

Lifting his head to face her, they took a moment to catch up with what was occurring, before they both released their grip, almost too casually.

Pushing herself off the wall, Kate took off her cap and cautiously poked her head around the corner. "Looks like the coast is clear."

Following her actions, Castle cleared his throat. "Great, and it's getting dark, so we should probably get going," he informed.

"Yeah," she agreed, turning back to him. "So, I guess I will see you."

"Ah, I'm going to call the car service. Did you want a lift somewhere?" he casually asked, combing his fingers through his hair.

"Thanks, but I'll just catch a cab," she assured with a final nod of her head, before they went their separate ways.

* * *

Sitting at home, Castle stirred his mug of coffee, entranced as the shades of liquid mixed and swirled with each other before finally becoming one.

"You up for a game of laser tag after dinner?"

"Dad?" Alexis further pressed.

Lifting his gaze from the warm liquid in front of him, Castle turned to his daughter who was now sitting next to him. "Huh?"

"Challenge you to a game of laser tag?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "But after dinner," he clarified as he brought the porcelain to his lips.

Alexis curiously watched him before narrowing her eyes. "What's up with you?"

"Nothin'," he casually dismissed.

"Dad, something is clearly up," she highlighted, before suddenly coming to a realisation. "Oh- it was date day today, wasn't it? You saw Kate today and now you're distracted. I believe that is a rather interesting coincidence."

"I'm not distracted, I'm just tired. Big day at the museum."

"Right. You know, from first impressions she actually seemed really nice," Alexis almost haphazardly mentioned. "Not half as terrible as you first described..."

"Yeah," he encouraged, waiting to see where she was going with the conversation.

"And now you're thinking about her..."

"I'm not-" he sighed. "What's your point?"

"I think you're starting to develop some feelings. Well, that's if you haven't already."

"Good to see that my genes in subtlety have been passed on," he sarcastically noted.

"Come on, Dad. You sure you aren't having a change of heart?"

"Alexis, I-" he began, before he was cut off by the shrill ringing of his phone. "Oh, looks like I'm saved by the bell," he smiled, rising to his feet as he followed the sound.

"Daaaad!" she sighed, as he made his way to his office.

Taking a quick glance at the caller ID, Castle let out a sigh before answering. "Hey, Paula. What's up?"

"What's up?" she mocked on the other end of the line. "You just love making my job difficult, don't you?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You know Rick, you have done some really stupid things in the past, but this one would have to be by far the stupidest thing yet."

"Paula, I'm seriously lost here."

"Look, I've got to make a few phone calls to try and clean up your mess, but call Kate and get her to be at you're place at twelve tomorrow. I will discuss it with the both of you then," she completed, before hanging up.

* * *

**I know I pretty much say this at the end of every chapter, but thank you to everyone for reading/alerting/reviewing! **

**BareWriter**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

**A/N: Before you read this chapter, I just want to say how amazing you all are, and I apologise (again) for this extremely late update. I really didn't plan on having such a major wait between this chapter and the last, but I've just been terribly busy with minimal free time to write. Anyway, this one is a bit longer for you all and I hope you still enjoy it despite the delay.**

* * *

Shuffling his way from the study, Rick took a moment to raise his arms above his head in a post-writing stretch. Argh, his back was cramped, his fingers were sore, but he had outlined almost four chapters. Yeah, it was kinda worth it.

Hearing his stomach rumble, Rick continued to make his way towards the kitchen.

Hmm, he needed food.

"Ah, hello to my two favourite ladies," he sighed, passing his mother and daughter as they sat at the kitchen island.

Lifting her head out of the magazine in front of her, Alexis offered a smile. "Hey Dad."

"Nice of you to make an appearance, Richard," Martha commented in a disapproving tone.

Opening numerous cupboards, Rick offered a slight smile over his shoulder. "Yes, well unfortunately I cannot control my writing genius."

Turning back to the mass of food in front of him, Rick's eyes widened as he spotted the Cap'n Crunch. "Aha!"

Casually flicking through a few more fashion filled pages, Alexis rested her chin on her palm before looking over to her father. "So, Dad. About that phone call last night. You still don't have any idea about what you did?"

Pulling the cardboard box off the shelf, Rick dramatically spun around. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's just reverse back a bit. What _I_ did?" he repeated, comically narrowing his eyes and making his way back to the bench top.

"How do you know it's not something Kate did?" he queried as he poured the cereal into a bowl.

"Richard, from your lack of maturity and tendency to get in trouble, I think it's safe to say this is your fault," Martha honestly responded.

Looking up, Rick offered a frown. "Hey, I can be mature."

Martha and Alexis silently sat there, and simply eyed him from head to toe.

Okay, that was probably not his best defence, especially whilst preparing an oversized bowl of cereal and wearing his Green Lantern pyjamas. But still...

"Well, when I want to be," he justified with a mumble before turning to the fridge.

Collecting the milk, he heard a knock at the door. "Ah, would one of you mind getting that?"

Completing his cereal preparations, Rick began to eat as his daughter welcomed their guest.

"Ah, Kate, lovely to see you again," Martha welcomed with a zealous smile.

"Hi, Martha," Kate replied, before she looked to Castle with a curious glance.

"Good afternoon, Castle. So, still in your pyjamas and eating cereal for lunch, huh?"

Castle shook his head in disagreement and carried on eating. "Don't judge my pyjamas. They're awesome. And it's cereal for _breakfast_," he eagerly clarified.

"Castle, it's midday."

"He does that," Alexis mumbled.

Castle finished chewing and then swallowed. "I live by the rule that if it's your first meal of the day, it's always breakfast, no matter what time it is. Hence, the cereal," he explained, once again bringing the overflowing spoon to his mouth. "Want some?" he asked, lifting up the box of Cap'n Crunch.

"No thanks, I already ate," Kate answered, slightly amused.

Rick shrugged his shoulders. "Hmm, your loss."

"So, what have you done that has gotten Paula so worked up?" Kate breathed out on an unsympathetic sigh.

Shooting his head up, Rick dropped his spoon, causing it to clatter against the bowl. "What's with everyone presuming I'm to blame here?" he questioned, mouth occupied by cereal and milk spilling out and down his chin.

"Richard, must you really speak with your mouth full?" Martha sighed.

"When I'm defending my honor? Yes," Castle nodded as he wiped his chin.

Shaking her head, Martha turned to the detective standing next to her. "Kate, I apologise on behalf of my son."

Kate let out a chuckle and briefly looked over to Castle. "Nah, he's not too bad," she casually said with a slight shrug.

Hearing her, Castle quietly smiled to himself, before he caught sight of his mother watching him, her eyebrows raised.

Looking away, Rick cleared his throat before finishing off the last of his cereal. "Don't you two have a show to catch?" he began, noting to his mother and daughter. "If you want to beat the storm that's coming, you should probably head off now."

"Oh, you're right," Martha noted, collecting her handbag before turning back to Rick and Kate. "Okay, well good luck kids, hopefully this thing with Paula isn't anything too serious."

Stepping up to her father, Alexis gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Bye, Dad."

"Bye, Pumpkin. Have fun."

"Yep. See you, Kate," Alexis farewelled, before following her grandmother to the door.

"Bye."

Giving his daughter a final wave, Rick placed his dirty bowl in the dishwasher, before hearing another knock on the door.

"Okay, that's either Mother returning because she forgot something, or it's Paula," Castle commented, eyes darting. "Prepare yourself either way," he whispered as he walked past Kate and made his way to the entry.

Pulling open the door, Rick stepped aside.

"You two are lucky I'm so damn good at my job," Paula began, confidently striding her way through to the kitchen.

"Ah, hello to you too, Paula," Rick sighed as he closed the door and followed her back into his loft.

"You know, when you called me and said that you wanted to take Kate to the museum, I agreed. It was despite my better judgement, but I still agreed. And how do you thank me? Oh, that's right, the genius that you are decides to run away from the press," she sarcastically narrated, offering him a glare with both hands placed on her hips.

Rick stood there, processing all of her information, tilting his head in thought. "Wait, that's what this is all about? All of _this_ because we decided to get a little exercise?"

Paula frowned at him, unamused by his attempted humor. "They waited outside that museum for four hours, Rick. Four hours, and then when you two finally decided to make an appearance, you bolted."

"I told you it was a bad idea," Kate commented in a sing-song voice under her breath.

"No, it was a great idea. You totally had fun. Besides, I still don't see what the big deal is," Castle retorted.

"They didn't appreciate it, Rick," Paula interceded. "You know about the deal we have with them, and after your little stunt, they didn't think that you two were keeping up your end."

Castle used Paula's pause to sneak a quick glance at Kate. Yep, this probably wasn't good.

"Now, I've managed to smooth things over with the smaller papers and magazines, but _The Ledger_, they still weren't satisfied and threatened to reduce your amount of published articles."

Oh boy.

"They've been our biggest source of publicity throughout this, so I'm sure both of you are aware of how big of a problem this is."

Castle could feel Paula's stare burning his skin, so uneasily scratching his neck, he spoke up. "But Kate and I are the buzz of the city. We're making them money. Surely they would't jeopardise that?"

Paula adamantly shook her head. "Buzz of the city or not, they are aware of your upcoming book release, Rick. They know you need the publicity, so they hold all the cards."

Straightening her posture, Paula removed her hands from her hips. "Now, after numerous phone calls, we were finally able to settle on an agreement which actually benefits everyone."

Rick turned away from Paula and glanced at Kate. She looked like she was ready to throttle him any second, so hesitantly turning back to Paula, Rick swallowed.

"What kind of agreement?"

* * *

With large thunder booming above them, Rick looked over to Kate as she walked beside him.

"I'm going to kill you," she gritted.

"Ah, I'd rather you wouldn't," he admitted. "Besides, if you want to kill someone, it should be the press. All I wanted was for you to have a little fun. It's not my problem that they are clearly overly sensitive people," he defended.

Receiving a dry eye roll from her, Castle changed his tactics. "Come on, it could have been worse."

"We have to do an interview, Castle!"

"Look, we've managed to fool everyone in the city with our romance so far, what's one more journalist? Anyway, it's only to confirm our relationship to the world, so it shouldn't go for too long. Paula said about fifteen to twenty minutes max."

Kate stopped as she firmly planted her feet in place with her arms crossed over her chest. "Castle, don't you get it? They're going to ask us questions. Questions for people in relationships. _Real_ relationships."

Wow, he really didn't consider that, but she made an extremely valid point.

"Hmm. Good thinking," he began, pausing in his steps to ponder. "Well then, I guess we should develop a plan. Cover our bases," he briefly suggested before fishing into his back jean pocket for his small writer's pad and pen.

Flipping open the pages, he began to scribble a few things down before looking up to Kate. "Okay, what side of the bed do you sleep on?"

"What?"

"You're right. They are going to ask us relationshippy questions, so we need to have prepared answers. So, left or right?" he reiterated, awaiting a response.

Kate pinched her forehead and let out a sigh. "This is ridiculous."

"Just answer the question."

Kate stared at him, seemingly weighing up her options before offering a dry eye roll. "Right," she mumbled, as she turned around and began to walk off.

"Darn, that's my side," Castle noted, writing the answer in his notepad. "Okay, I'm willing to compromise. Alternate me can sleep on the left," he quickly thought aloud, before getting into a slight jog to catch up to her.

Moving on, Castle continued. "What do you eat for breakfast? You already know what I have."

"Yoghurt and berries."

"Hmm. Healthy," he commented, jotting down a few more notes. "Okay, what do you wear to bed?"

"Castle-" she warned, coming to a halt once again.

"These are serious questions. What do you wear? Flannel? Cotton? Silk?"

Receiving no response, Castle gasped. "Oh my God, you don't sleep naked, do you?"

Kate displayed a deadly glare, so Castle returned to his notepad.

_Note to self: She most definitely does not sleep naked. _

"Okay, this was clearly a bad idea," Kate began, getting back into stride. "Look, you're the writer between the two of us. I'm sure you can spontaneously create some believable answers."

* * *

"Okay, so moving on to the final question, how did you two fall in love?"

Sitting in a small windowless room at the head offices of The Ledger, Kate and Rick were positioned next to each other on two rather uncomfortable chairs. Situated opposite them, was Liz.

She was a quirky kind of girl, had long, thin, sandy hair and was wearing oversized glasses. Apparently she was an intern and this was her big break, and she seemed to be absolutely enthralled by the pair.

So far her questions had been easy enough; what their favourite date has been, what they like to do away from the public eye, and they had managed to bluff their way through, Liz hanging on to their every word.

This question however, Rick wasn't prepared for. And apparently neither was Kate.

"Ah, I'm sorry?" Rick fumbled, as Kate hurriedly drank a glass of water.

Liz shifted in her seat and tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear before re-wording her question. "I mean, how did you two meet? You must admit it's not every day a well known celebrity gets into a relationship with a member of the public. Especially a cop."

Kate turned to Castle, and pursing her lips, she cleared her throat. "Ah, I think Rick here would like to handle this question. He just loves telling this story," she said with a teasing glint in her eye.

Rick turned to her and shot her a glare.

He knew it. She was trying to cruely punish him for this.

"Ah, well," Rick began, gazing over the brown walls of the room.

He was searching for some kind of inspiration, anything, until he briefly noticed Kate from the corner of his eye. No way-

She was trying to contain a laugh. He couldn't believe it. She was actually finding some kind amusement in all of this.

To hell with it. If Kate was having fun, then so would he.

Clasping his hands together on his lap, Rick sat up straighter and put on his best narrator voice he could muster. "Okay, so it was late at night, and there I was, perusing the streets of New York as us brooding writers do. I thought I was all alone, the streets seemed empty, until I noticed this woman."

"Kate," Liz gasped.

Oh boy. The poor girl was oblivious, almost falling out of her seat as she attempted to get closer, completely entranced by his storytelling.

"That's right," Rick confirmed with a dramatic whisper. "Anyway, she was walking home from work, unaware of the two ruthless street thugs following her. She looked worried, so sensing trouble, I-"

"I'm sorry," Kate interrupted. "But as a highly trained police officer who had a gun, you might want to explain why I couldn't defend myself. You know, for the sake of the interview."

Rick turned to Kate with narrowed eyes. Oh, he could see what she was trying to do. Funny.

"No problems, _Honey_," Rick answered with a teasing smile.

Ha, he received a little frown from her for that one.

"She was tired after just finishing a long shift. Very long shift," he highlighted. "Anyway, if you had let me finish, I would have explained how the duo, well they turned into a quartet. Way too many for her to handle by herself," he explained to Liz with a comical nod. "So, moving on, I sensed trouble and despite the danger I was putting myself in, I bravely approached and told the men to leave her alone. Thankful for my assistance-"

"Oh no, you missed the best bit," Kate quickly spoke. "Tell Liz how you got the 'duo turned quartet of ruthless street thugs' to leave me alone with just your words," she challenged with a dry tone. "This is my favourite part," she whispered to Liz.

"Well, of course I was more manly then that. You know, I had to rough them up a bit. Throw in a few punches."

"You managed to take them down by yourself?" Liz gaped in admiration.

"Ah, admittedly I got tossed around a bit," Rick continued, "And at the end of it all I finished lying on my back, kinda drooped over the edge of a closed dumpster."

Kate took this opportunity to give him a look.

Ignoring her judgemental stare, he continued. "So there I was, suspended in my awkward position, when Kate approached me. She wanted to thank me for my heroics, and charmed by the good will and bravery of a stranger, she leant over and kissed me as I hung upside down..." he finished with a dramatic pause.

"Just like _Spiderman_," Liz murmured.

Whoa, so that's where his inspiration came from.

Kate shifted her body to face him and scoffed. "That was absolutely-"

"Beautiful," Liz finished for her, before releasing a sigh. "You know, we were thinking that to accompany the article, a photo of you two from one of your public outings would be perfect."

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead," Rick agreed with a chuckle, unbelieving that Liz bought into the whole thing.

"Although, seeing you together like this and how much you clearly care for each other, I was thinking of a different picture. How about I get one of our photographers down here, and you guys can give each other a kiss?"

"W-what?" Rick and Kate both questioned in sync.

"Well, it will be a great photo to reflect the article."

Uh-oh. So this is what they get for being such great liars.

Rick looked to Kate and slightly began to panic as he dug into his brain for a valid excuse.

"I, ah-" he began, suddenly unable to form a sentence.

"I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen," Kate blurted with a nervous chuckle.

She was right. This was not how it was going to happen.

Whoa, well, not that kissing Kate was going to happen _at all_, cause that would just be-

"Why not? You guys are in a loving relationship, right? Look, if you give us this photo, I can guarantee sales to be doubled. And you will also be helping me out. My boss will love it," Liz smiled, literally pleading with them to agree.

"Yeah, but you see I, I-" Kate began, before her words disappeared on her.

"Kate currently has a mean case of tonsillitis," Rick quickly interrupted, picking up from where she left off. "And she doesn't really want to go spreading it around. And I on the other hand-" he began, looking over to Kate for help.

"He just ate a tuna sandwich for lunch," she quickly explained.

Huh. Not the best excuse out there and he didn't even like tuna, but noting the disappointment on Liz's face, it was working.

"Yeah," Rick nodded in agreement, eyes wide. "And it was a _big_ sandwich. Lots of tuna," he animatedly finished.

"If you're worried about doing it in front of me, or if you change your mind, you can give her a kiss on your way back home. We have photographers following you, so you will hardly notice them."

"Ah, thanks for the offer, but I think we will pass," Kate said with a hesitant smile as she stood. "Thank you for today, Liz," she hurriedly spoke as she shook the girl's hand. "You ready to go?" she questioned as she turned to Castle, her eyes depicting the hurry-up-and-let's-get-out-of-here look.

"Definitely," Castle agreed with a nod.

* * *

Walking out of the office building and onto the streets, Kate looked up at the grey sky. She watched as the clouds rumbled together, emitting another loud clash of thunder before she turned to Castle. "Hey, good work with the whole tonsillitis thing back there."

"Oh, yeah, thanks," he smiled. "It was a pretty close call."

"It was," Kate agreed with a shy nod. "Although, even if you didn't come up with that, there was no way we were going to kiss," Kate quickly continued as she strode by his side. "That would just have been..."

"Weird," Castle finished for her.

"Yeah, and completely awkward," she reiterated, eyes remaining directed in front of her.

"Totally," Castle blurted out. Sucking in a breath, he briefly looked back over to her. "Good, glad we were on the same page with that one," he nodded.

Continuing to walk side by side, they were met with a short silence, before Kate pressed on. "Although, I can't say the same about your little narrative back there."

"What are you talking about?" Castle innocently questioned.

"Saving me from street thugs? Me kissing you upside down? You literally plagiarised the whole thing!"

"I did not!" Castle began in mock shock as he spun his head towards Kate.

With another roar of thunder sounding above them, Kate displayed one of her unbelieving glares, so Castle admitted defeat.

"Okay, fine. But it wasn't plagiarism, it's called finding inspiration. It was the best idea I could think of on the spot. I was under a lot of pressure," he logically justified.

"I just can't believe she actually believed you, I mean, all you needed was the rain and it would have been dead on..."

"Well, I thought it was romantic. I was going for the hero swoops in on the damsel in distress angle."

Just as he finished, another loud crack of thunder filled the clouds. Looking up, Rick continued. "Although speaking of rain, we should probably get under shelter, it looks like it's going to bucket down any second," he advised.

"Actually, I'm going home," Kate informed.

It had been an interesting day to say the least and she was looking forward to a quiet afternoon.

"Besides, don't you have to go continue your quest of saving the women of New York from street thugs, Spidey?" she mocked as she began to walk off.

"Oh, very funny," Castle retorted with a quirk of his lips before looking over to her."Wait, you're walking?"

"Yes, why?" Kate replied, spinning around.

"I'm serious about the rain. A thunderstorm is coming, you should catch a cab."

Kate gazed up at the sky again. He was right, it was probably going to pour, but she really felt like walking. "Well, if you let me go now, hopefully I will be able to beat it."

Castle let out a sigh and walked towards her. "You're crazy. What if you just wait a bit-" he began, before his words were cut off by a final roll of thunder and it suddenly began to pour.

"Argh!" Rick winced, hovering his hands over his head. "See? What did I tell you!" he yelled over the deafening blend of heavy rain and thunder.

Kate narrowed her eyes and attempted to look through the rain.

She really should catch a cab, but her hair was sticking to her cheeks and she was already saturated, so there was really no point. "Castle, it's only a little rain."

Castle defiantly shook his head. "There's no way I'm letting you walk in this," he began, taking a few more steps towards her and wrapping his hand around her bicep. "Look, just come over here-" he began, leading her to the side of the footpath.

"What are you doing?" she questioned, her feet automatically moving to where he was pulling her.

"I'm being chivalrous and getting you out of the rain," he adamantly responded.

Directing her to a small rooftop shelter under an old style building, Castle turned his body so he was now facing her. Continuing to walk, he hurriedly crowded her backwards until she was under cover.

Only a few feet away from the brick wall behind her, Kate let out a sigh. "Castle, you don't need to-" before she lost her footing on the wet concrete. "Whoa!"

Feeling herself slip, she instinctively shot her arms out to grasp onto Castle's shoulders, while he simultaneously reached his hands out to grip the waist of her jeans.

Holding on to her, Castle let out a slight chuckle. "Easy, I've got you," he murmured, his head faced downwards as he ensured that she was stable.

Satisfied that her feet were firmly planted and steady on the ground, Castle slowly raised his head, his face covered in a wide smile.

As soon as he did, Kate felt the air rush out of her lungs.

Kate found herself paralysed as she slowly became aware of his proximity.

She wasn't expecting to have him this close, and with their hands still placed on each other, he was standing directly in front of her with only about a foot of space between their chests.

His fringe hung low over his forehead, rain beading down and dripping off the ends, and lowering her gaze, she suddenly found herself unable to look away from the depth of his blue eyes.

Everything caved in on her as Castle's smile slowly faded and the mood suddenly shifted. She knew it was still raining, she could smell it in the air, but she could no longer hear the downpour. They could have been in the middle of a twister and she wouldn't even have realised. All she could focus on was the man standing in front of her.

"See," he began softly, pausing so he could swallow. "This is much better," he said as she stood there, completely transfixed by his words.

Kate sucked in a breath. This was the part where Castle was meant to step back. Pull away. Smile and crack a joke. Anything, to cut the thick air.

But he didn't.

Instead, he did the opposite.

Castle took a small step forwards, and Kate suddenly felt her heart pounding as he brought their bodies together.

"You know, Liz did say there would be photographers following us if we changed our mind..."

He paused, eyes completely locked on hers as he swallowed, throat muscles quivering before he continued. "About that kiss."

Kate didn't know what to do or what to think, as a tidal wave of unfamiliar thoughts and emotions flooded her mind. She was frozen, and as if entranced by his spell, she huffed out a shallow breath. "She did, didn't she?"

Everything in her head was screaming 'No!'. What the hell was she doing? She didn't want to kiss him. No, not at all.

So why wasn't she doing anything to stop it?

"Well, maybe we should just do it. You know. Get back on Paula's good side. Keep her happy," Castle hesitantly suggested.

"And it would help Liz out," Kate continued.

"It would," he agreed, slightly nodding his head.

Kate attempted to swallow, but he was so close to her she couldn't even think. "And I guess it's not like it's going to mean anything," she nervously finished.

"No, of course not," he murmured, ever so slightly leaning his face towards hers.

Oh God. It was going to happen. She was going to kiss him. Or he was going to kiss her. Either way, it was happening, and she felt powerless to stop it.

Kate glanced down at his lips, wet from either rain or anticipation, she couldn't quite tell.

"Well, I'm sure I can-" she paused, her head spinning as Castle's nose briefly bumped hers. "Suffer through it," she whispered, his parted lips now hovering over her mouth. Almost there.

Castle let out a whisper. "Good," before he finally closed the distance between them and pressed his mouth against hers.

Kate remained still as the connection overwhelmed her senses. She had no idea what was going on or what was happening. All that she knew was that it just felt...

Right.

As if testing the waters, they both began to hesitantly move their lips, creating a delicate kiss.

Although when she felt his hands on her hips tighten, her back suddenly being further pressed into the wall behind her, Kate knew this was dangerous. It was oh so dangerous, but as Castle pulled away only to quickly return to latch onto her lower lip, something sparked inside her. Heat began to race through her veins, and on a low moan, Kate matched his intensity.

She responded immediately, surprising herself as she opened to his touch. His mouth was so warm, the movement of his lips softer than she could have imagined.

Kate was slowly getting lost in the kiss. She could feel the little control she had left slipping away as Castle's hands began to move, sliding beneath her rain soaked layers to rest on the bare skin above her hips.

It was too much. She suddenly needed air. Needed to breathe.

Getting a hold of herself, Kate applied pressure to his shoulders and messily slid her lips off of his, breaking the kiss.

Castle immediately took a step back, allowing Kate to sidestep him and move away from the wall.

Clearing her throat, Kate looked off into the distance before turning back to him. "I think that should do it," she hurriedly spoke as she attempted to catch her breath.

"Yeah, well I guess we will find out in the paper tomorrow," Castle responded, eyes wide as he nodded his head.

Come on Kate, relax. It was just a business kiss. Just a business kiss. Just a-

Kate let out a nervous smile. "Great. So I've got to go, but I will see you for our next date."

Castle simply nodded. He didn't try to persuade her to remain under the shelter, wait out the storm, so taking the opportunity, Kate spun around and lifting her jacket over her head, she ran out into the rain.

And away from him.

* * *

**So... thoughts?**

**BareWriter**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

**A/N: Whoa. So it's been a while, I know, and I apologise for that, but I didn't abandon this. Long story short, not long after the last update I got appendicitis and had to have emergency surgery to remove my appendix. There were a few complications, so I had to stay in hospital for a while and ended up missing almost three weeks of university. Therefore, the majority of my recent time has been used to recover and catch up on all the work I missed, leaving me with pretty much no time update. To everyone who has reviewed or sent me a PM about the last chapter or my absence, I'm sorry I haven't replied but I hope this offers an explanation. You guys are seriously amazing and I appreciate every single one of you for reading, so I hope this massive delay hasn't lost any of you.**

**Anyway, moving on, FINALLY here is a new chapter for you (and it's a long one), so I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Standing in her building's hallway, Kate forcefully turned her door handle and pushed, stumbling into her apartment. Once inside, she dropped her keys to the floor and leaned back against the door, effectively shutting it behind her.

Finally home, she closed her eyes and willed her body to loosen as she let the wooden structure support her weight. She was back in her own space, a place where she was meant to feel comfortable and in control, but all she could do was surrender to the tidal wave of unfamiliar feelings and emotions that were consuming her. She had no idea how to interpret or control them, but what she did know however, was that this was not meant to be happening.

Squeezing her eyelids even closer together, Kate used the silence of her apartment to focus on her breathing, coach her lungs into slowly expanding and contracting, but nothing was working. Her erratic heart was still pounding through her rib cage and her body continued to be set alight by a foreign rush of warmth. Damn it. Why couldn't she stop it? This was unbelievable. It had been a good twenty-five minutes since she had left Castle, but she still felt exactly the same as when he crowded her against the building, when she felt his body merge flush against hers, when his lips slowly descended and pressed to her own-

Taking a moment, Kate let out a definitive breath and pushed off the door. Pacing in her entry, she lifted her hands and dragged them down the front of her face, before finally allowing them to rest against the side of her cheeks.

What the hell was going on? They were getting along better, she knew that, but what just happened, what was happening, was-

He was Richard Castle for goodness sake. A man who couldn't seem to take anything seriously. Someone who treated life like it was his own ball of fun. She couldn't even bare to tolerate him four weeks ago. But now, now he has had this effect on her. That would be right. She was able to remain unaffected, undeterred by some of the hardest criminals in New York City, and here she was literally falling apart because of a kiss from some overgrown man-child.

Coming to a standstill, Kate roughly combed her fingers through her dripping hair in frustration and let out a groan. But it was a stupid kiss, she was quick to remind. A meaningless kiss. It didn't have to signify anything whatsoever. She just needed a chance to clear her head and quickly, since she was going to be seeing him again tomorrow.

With a new wave of determination consuming her, Kate strode into her bathroom and reached for the brass taps that hung on the wall. She'll simply have a shower. That was all she needed. She will soak her body and allow all of the unwanted thoughts and feelings to wash away and disappear.

Expertly peeling her drenched clothes from her skin, Kate inhaled a deep breath as she stood in only her bra and panties. Reaching out, she placed her hand under the spray of the shower, waiting for it to warm. Adjusting the temperature so it wasn't too hot, she removed her final garments before she tentatively stepped under the water. Immediately, she felt a sense of calm wash over her, her heart rate slow down and her body begin to relax as she allowed her body to be immersed by the soothing liquid. She had no reason to panic. None at all.

She would be fine.

* * *

"So, how are you today, Beckett?"

Kate kept her eyes on the murder board in front of her, reviewing the array of information and suspect photos. "I'm fine," she responded confidently, scribbling down a few query notes before facing Esposito. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason," he replied far too innocently, before he lowered his head and focused his attention to whatever was in his hands.

Beckett capped her whiteboard marker and narrowed her eyes. Esposito was acting suspicious, but he wasn't alone. Ryan was sitting next to him, looking over his shoulder at something as they both failed to notice her stare.

Quickly dismissing them however, Kate took another brief look at the board, before she returned to her desk and sat down, opening up the case file. She had spent the majority of the morning chasing after a few stray leads and checking witness statements, but frustratingly nothing new was discovered. There was probably one small detail in these notes that would hold the key to the whole thing. Damn. They were going to have to go over everything again with a fine toothed comb.

"Hey, how are you guys going with those financials?" Kate questioned to her male colleagues as she shuffled through the notes.

Hearing nothing but silence in return, Beckett curiously lifted her head to find them softly chuckling to themselves. "Okay, there's no way you should look that amused from a pile of bank statements," she noted dryly, before searching for a highlighter in her top drawer. "Why aren't you two working?"

"Oh, we're just having a little break," Esposito began casually. "To, you know, do a bit of light reading."

Immediately recognising the taunting nature in his tone, Kate cautiously raised her head and looked in the direction of the two detectives. Both sat there, attempting to contain their grins as Esposito slowly lifted up the day's copy of _The Ledger_ for her to see. "You would be absolutely _shocked_ at some of the articles you can find in here," he sarcastically stated with a grin.

"Yeah, some of them are a great read," Ryan agreed with a definitive nod, as Esposito gazed upon the open pages held up straight in front of his chest. "Hey Esposito, what's that one about?" Ryan queried as he pointed to something on the page.

"Oh, you mean the one with the _very_ interesting accompanying photo? Let me see," Esposito responded, acting oblivious as he returned his attention to the paper. "_Richard Castle and New York Detective Official,"_ he teasingly read aloud.

Listening, Kate widened her eyes and frantically pushed up from her chair, before she quickly power walked toward the pair. "Give me that," she sternly whispered, as she reached out and attempted to snatch the newspaper out of his grasp.

"Nu-uh," Esposito chuckled, now holding the paper against his chest and effectively out of her reach. "We haven't finished yet," he smiled.

Kate drew her eyebrows in a frown and placed her hands on the edge of the desk, leaning down above them. "Look, it wasn't anything. More specifically, it didn't mean anything, okay. So, just give me the paper," she whispered harshly as she took a cautious look around the bullpen. The last thing she needed was to draw more attention to herself and have the whole precinct discussing it. Well, probably discussing it even more.

"Nope," Esposito quickly retorted, watchfully opening the paper close to his chest and continuing to read. "Oh, by the way," he began as he briefly poked his head out from the offending tabloid, "Lanie said that she doesn't appreciate you ignoring her calls."

Kate let out a sigh, and pushed up from the desk so she could place a hand on her hip. "I haven't been ignoring them. I've just been...busy."

Well, at least that was kinda true.

"Come on, Beckett, even I don't believe that," Ryan replied. "So, just tell us. Is he a good kisser?" he continued, as Esposito pouted his lips in a kissing motion, sound effects and all.

Unamused, Kate kept her stern gaze as she offered a tedious response. "I'll tell you what. How about you both give him a smooch when he comes in and let me know?"

Chuckling, Esposito returned to his reading. "You know, it says here that you had tonsillitis and Castle even ate a tuna sandwich before you guys kissed. Seriously, what were you thinking?"

"What? Liz actually wrote that?" Kate questioned in shock, her mouth slightly agape. "After everything we said in that interview, _that_ was what she deemed most important?" she said, as she hurriedly worked her way around the desk and took another lunge for the paper.

Fully aware of her intentions, Esposito rolled his chair back along the wooden floors and further distanced himself from her. "Whoa," he smiled, seemingly amused by her reaction. "I thought you didn't like to read your articles?"

Pausing, Kate retracted her hand and straightened her back. "I-I don't," she stammered.

"Good, well leave me to read in peace," Esposito instructed, before he dramatically opened up the newspaper once again. "Yo, Ryan," he chuckled to himself. "Can you believe she kissed him after he ate a tuna sandwich? Who does that? I mean, the whole sharing tonsillitis thing is disturbing, but tuna breath? That's just nasty!" he said, scrunching up his face at the thought, before lifting his head to look at his partner for support.

As soon as he did, his features straightened as Ryan gave an apologetic look and remained silent. "Dude," Esposito began in a serious tone. "Do not tell me you've kissed Jenny after she ate a can of fish."

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "I don't mind," he cautiously began. "Besides," he added, straightening up in his chair a little, "I like to believe that love...conquers all."

Shaking his head in mock disgust, Esposito turned back to Beckett. "Okay, ignoring lover-boy over there, no one does that unless they are sickly in love."

Kate let out a sigh and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "For the record, he didn't eat tuna and I don't have tonsillitis, so no, I'm not- sickly in love."

"What? You didn't even feel a little spark?" Ryan disappointedly sighed.

Keeping her features stern, Beckett remained calm. "No. Sorry to disappoint you, Ryan." Turning back to Esposito, she continued. "Now, moving on, how about you get rid of the paper and get me up to speed with where you two are on the case?"

"Oh man," Ryan moaned, tossing his pen on Esposito's desk. "I was totally rooting for you two."

"_The case_," Beckett sternly reiterated.

"Detectives, put the paper away and leave Beckett alone. We have murderers to catch, not celebrity gossip," Montgomery ordered as he walked into the bullpen, snatching the paper from behind Esposito on his way.

Relaxing her shoulders, Kate looked to Montgomery as he passed her. "Thank-you, Captain."

"You can however read all you would like on your lunch break,'' he said, turning back to the boys with a grin before entering his office, as Beckett stood in disbelief.

"Ha! See, even Montgomery's behind you two!" Esposito beamed.

Offering him one last glare, Beckett spun on her heels and strode to her desk, before picking up a pile of papers. "It meant nothing," she reiterated as she stapled the stack, forcing herself to remain focused.

"Hey, boys!"

Briefly looking up, Kate caught sight of Castle as he confidently strode into the bullpen with a smile.

"Hey, look who it is," Ryan grinned.

Pleased, Esposito greeted the writer. "Castle. Good to see you, Bro."

"Yeah, you too," he smiled as he finally directed his attention to Beckett. "Good afternoon, Detective."

"Hi, Castle," she responded, attempting to look busy at her desk.

"So, how are you guys going?" Castle questioned as he turned to the pair of male detectives.

"Yeah, we're good. Aren't we Ryan?" Esposito replied in a teasing tone as he turned to his partner.

"Yeah, we're _real_ good," Ryan agreed. "But what about you Castle? How are you?" he not so innocently queried.

Oh no. Beckett knew exactly what they were playing at, and quickly shot the boys a warning glare. There was no way she was letting them bring up the article now.

"I'm- I'm good. Thanks. I think?" Castle hesitantly answered.

Adamantly closing the file on her desk, Beckett turned to a confused looking Castle. "Okay. You ready to go?"

"Yeah," he quickly agreed. "See you guys," he waved, as he followed Beckett in the direction of the elevator.

"You two have fun!" Esposito hollered after them.

* * *

"Castle, hurry up and make up your mind."

With his thinking face on full display, Castle took his time as he surveyed the menu board behind the counter. "Hmm. I can't decide if I just want the caramel syrup with foamed milk, or if I want no foam, but the cream and chocolate flakes on top instead."

Impatiently standing next to him, Kate rolled her eyes. "Why can't you just order a normal coffee?"

"Hey, you added your two pumps of sugar-free vanilla to yours, now it's my turn," Castle defended, continuing to weigh up his options. "Besides, normal is boring."

"Normal is also quicker," she was quick to rebut. "Castle, we aren't going to get a table."

Peeling his eyes away from the list of coffees on offer, Castle turned, taking in the rows of bookshelves before he noticed the small eclectic styled tables behind them. She was right, they probably weren't going to be getting a table any time soon.

"That's alright. We can just get our coffees to go and walk around and look at all the books. It is a cafe_ and_ bookstore after all. Technically the two are meant to correlate," he mumbled as he turned back to the displayed list. "Hmm, maybe I should just get some marshmallows on the side instead..."

"Seriously?" Kate sternly said as she offered him a fed-up glare.

"Okay, okay, I'm going. How about you start looking around and I'll go order?"

"Fine," she responded, as she spun around and headed in the direction of the shelves.

Now that he was alone, Castle let out a breath. This was good. So far everything was going well. He was fine. Kate seemed fine. Nothing had to change.

Choosing to take one last glance at the menu board however, Castle's eyes caught onto something written on the bottom right hand corner that he had failed to notice before.

Squinting, he read the sentence out loud to himself._ "Today's quote of the day; 'A kiss that speaks volumes is seldom a first edition.' - Clare Whiting."_

Oh boy. Castle suspiciously darted his eyes around the immediate area, before locking his gaze back on the quote. Whoa, that, ah-

No, he wasn't going to draw any meaning from that whatsoever. It wasn't like they were any mystical, fortune-telling words of wisdom that were personally directed to him. It was just a random quote, plucked out of a random book, and randomly chosen to be written down today.

...which coincidentally happened to be the day after he just kissed Kate.

But no. It was best not to think about it.

Finally making a decision and ordering their drinks (he went for the white coffee with hazelnut syrup and whipped cream), Castle cleared his throat and made his way over to Kate.

"So, find anything that peaks your interests?" he questioned, as he came to stand beside her in front of a shelf of books.

"Hmm, I'm still browsing," she shrugged, "But I think I found a book for you."

"Really?" Castle questioned, somewhat intrigued.

"Yeah, and it's perfect," she said with a teasing smile as she held out a copy of '_The Encyclopaedia of Immaturity.'_

"Oh, look at you thinking you're so funny," he sarcastically commented as she chuckled, placing the book back on the shelf.

"So, where are our coffees?" she queried, noting to his empty hands.

"Oh, they're coming. Just a bit of a hold up, so I figured instead of waiting around the counter I would come to see what you were up to," he shrugged, placing his hands in his pockets.

"Right," she cautiously replied. "So do you come here much?"

"Nah, not really," he began. "What about you?"

"Ah, yeah, actually I used to come here a bit when I first became a cop. I loved the way you could smell the history of some of these books mixed with the freshly brewed coffee as soon as you walked through the door. Not only that, but you could never know what hidden treasures you might find."

Castle smiled in agreement before his eyes locked on something on the shelf. "Ooh, speaking of, check out this one," Castle gushed as he pulled out a colourful book.

"What is it?"

"'_The art of Mind Reading'. _Awesome!" he chuckled as he flicked through the pages. "Imagine if I could be telepathic just like Karma. That would have to be the best superhero power ever. Oooh, I wouldn't even have to ask Alexis where she's been anymore. I could just pluck it straight from her brain!"

"Castle, you can't become telepathic from reading a book," Kate rolled her eyes as she began to make her way down the aisle.

Following her, Castle took the book with him, flicking through the pages. "I should've known you would've been a sceptic."

"It's not being sceptical," Kate retorted as she briefly spun around to face him, "It's called realistic."

"Huh, we'll see," he mumbled as he continued to read.

'_Step one: Make sure you believe'. _

Hmm, that one can be ticked off.

'_Step two: Carefully choose an individual and concentrate to receive their energy frequency.'_

"You... are crazy," Kate offhandedly noted as she came to a stop and pulled a novel out from the shelf.

"Or maybe you're crazy and I'm the normal one," he muttered as he stood next to her and began to lean his head towards her, eyes narrowed in deep concentration.

"Ha! Yeah right!" she exclaimed, finally turning to face him. "There is absolutely no way- what are you doing?"

"Shhh. I'm trying to read your mind," Castle responded, scrunching up his face even harder as he relentlessly tried to hear her thoughts.

Unhappy, Kate frowned and shoved on his chest, causing him to stumble back. "Stop it."

"Why? I thought you were a, what was that, a realist who didn't believe in sudden telepathy?" he tested with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"I am. But it's still...creepy," she snapped as she turned and began to walk away from him.

Placing the book back on the shelf, Castle slowly followed as he continued to browse over the shelved literature.

"By the way," Kate began, breaking the silence, her back still somewhat facing him. "Next time don't forget about the super heroines."

"What?" Castle chuckled to himself as he picked up a slightly stained copy of 'A _Journey To The Centre Of The Earth',_ before returning it to its position.

"You said before that you could be telepathic just like Karma, and I'm saying don't forget about the girls such as Jean Grey or even Saturn Girl. They were telepathic too," she casually mentioned.

Pausing, Castle slowly lifted his head and stared at her in shock as she continued to casually gaze over the vibrant spines.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Hey, I'm a female detective. I literally work in a man's world, so forgive me for being about girl power."

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Castle said as he shook his head, taking a hesitant step towards her. "I meant- You read comics?"

Kate turned to face him and offered a definitive nod. "Well, not so much now, but when I was younger I loved them."

Castle stood there, completely dumbstruck as he allowed a beaming grin to escape his lips. He never, _ever_ would have pegged her as a comic book fan.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Kate questioned with a frown as she caught on to his expression.

"Because...it's you!" he exclaimed with a high pitched tone. "You don't like anything!"

"And what's that meant to mean?" she frowned, folding her arms across her chest and taking a step closer to him.

"No, it's just- that's something I like, and you like it too-" he quickly fumbled.

"Yeah, sure," she scoffed, before turning back to the books. "Oh, and just so you know, telepathy would totally not be the best super power ever."

"Really? You're going to go there?"

"You know what?" she answered, placing her hands on her hips and raising an eyebrow. "Maybe I am."

Castle smiled. She was challenging him.

Fully captivated, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and straightened up a little. "Okay then, Miss. Judgemental. What superhero power would you choose?"

Kate remained opposite him as she stared him down. Seemingly contemplating her next move, she lightly grinned and drew her lower lip between her teeth.

Whoa, that was kinda- whoa. Castle had seen her do it before, sure, but witnessing it now, merely twenty-four hours after he had sucked on that same lip-

Oh no. Where did that come from? And now he was staring at her lips. Great work, Castle. Real discrete.

"Kick-ass ninja skills," she thankfully answered, breaking his spell.

"What?" he squeaked, face frowned in disbelief. "That is so lame! What about invisibility, or shape shifting, or flexibility-"

Kate raised an eyebrow at him for his last suggestion. "It is not lame! What about Elektra? She was highly skilled in martial arts and she had her own comics."

"Yeah, but on the scale of awesome-ness, my superpower would be up here and yours would be way down there," he informed, using his hand to indicate the disparity between the two.

"Well the scale of awesome-ness clearly needs to go in for a service cause you are way off."

"Oh! Mock me all you want but leave my scale of awesome-ness out of this!" he sternly whispered, trying not to create too much of a scene to those around them. The last thing he needed was reports of them fighting on a date, despite how entertaining and engaging it was...

Smiling to himself, Castle looked back to her. "Is this our first couple fight?" he thought out loud, interrupting any rebuttal she was about to come up with.

"What?" Kate queried, slightly taken aback. "No, we argue all the time. Besides," she began before she looked around to ensure no one was near, "We aren't a real couple, Castle, so technically we can't have a first couple fight."

Hmm, good point. "Yeah, but- okay, never mind. How about you just admit that telepathy is better and we will leave it at that?" he nonchalantly suggested.

"I will not! With my powers I could just beat you up and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it!"

Castle had to put on his best poker face to suppress his laughter. This was amazing. Arguing with her like this caused a strange kind of adrenaline rush to spread through his body, and he was enjoying this superhero-esque Mexican standoff thing they had going. Not to mention the way she was kind of getting worked up about it. No, there was no way he could let her win this one.

"Nope, you see that's where you're wrong. Your powers would be useless against mine as I would simply be able to read your mind and anticipate every move you would make," he smugly informed.

Receiving no comeback from her as she silently stood in front of him, Castle let out a beaming smile. "Ha! I win. That looks like Castle is on one, and Beckett has a big fat zero."

"Wait..." she began, trying to come up with a response.

"Nope," Castle shook his head, pretending to look at the shelves of books next to them. "Case closed. The jury can be excused."

"There is no way this conversation is over!" she harshly whispered, stepping closer to him.

"Ah, I think it is," he smiled, his eyes now locked on hers.

"You know what, I'm suddenly starting to feel that a break up is very imminent," she sarcastically frowned at him.

"Oh, that would be right. Take the most drastic action," he replied, taking a step in her direction. They both stood in the middle of the aisle, barely a foot of distance between them as they stared each other down, both too stubborn to budge.

"Oh no, honey, don't break up with him," came a voice from behind Castle's shoulder.

"I'm sorry?" he questioned, as he spun around to face an eccentric middle-aged woman.

"Oh, I don't mean to pry. I'm Deloris," the woman confidently introduced, "And I couldn't help but overhear your little fight, and I just wanted to say to your girlfriend over there, that she should think things through before coming to any rash decisions."

Uh-oh. This was not good. Briefly looking at Kate who looked as shocked as he did, Castle uneasily turned back to the woman with a chuckle. "Oh no, we weren't fighting. We were simply...having a robust discussion. We're just fine."

Deloris simply nodded her head, before reaching out to touch Castle's shoulder. "Maybe you two should consider couples counselling," she not so discretely whispered in his ear.

She pulled back and looked at Kate with a wink, before opening up her handbag. "When my husband Phil and I were having our disagreements, we went to see a Dr. Steinberg. I think I have his card in here somewhere," she mumbled as she rummaged through her bag. "Oh, here you go," she smiled as she held out a small card to Kate.

"Oh, thank-you," Kate attempted to politely smile, taking the card from the woman.

"I must tell you; this doctor is a miracle worker," Deloris nodded. "I mean, after a few sessions with him, Phil and I were in bliss. We were literally inseparable!" she exclaimed as Kate turned to Rick, her eyes wide, pleading with him to do something.

Rick opened and closed his mouth, attempting to form a sentence, when Deloris wrapped her hand around his bicep. "You know, for our anniversary my Phil even bought us matching jogging tracksuits. Custom made. And not only that, but we felt like we were right back on our honeymoon. I mean, the sex was amazing! Phil turned into a sex machine, and we would find ourselves tangled on the table, the floor, ha, oh god even in the-"

Receiving a sharp elbow into his side, Castle stumbled forward and quickly spoke before Deloris could share anymore.

"Ah, thank-you, Deloris, for the card and for that fine imagery," Castle sarcastically smiled. "But I can assure you, we're fine."

Apparently spotting her exit, Kate turned to Castle. "You know what, I think I might go and see if our coffees are ready," she smiled. "Thank-you, Deloris," she farewelled as she walked past the woman and into the direction of the counter.

Abandoned, Castle watched Kate disappear amongst the rows of shelves before he turned to Deloris. "It was nice to meet you, but I, ah, I better go help her," he said as he smiled and began to walk, pointing to the way Kate just went.

"You know, don't think I don't recognise you two," the woman smiled.

"Pardon?" Castle questioned as he spun around to face her.

"Richard Castle and Kate Beckett, right? I saw your photo in the paper today, and I must say, the way you two were kissing like that, and in the middle of such a storm? It just looked...magical," she beamed in a dreamy voice.

"Oh," Rick nervously laughed. "Thanks, but ah, it was just a kiss," he attempted to casually dismiss.

"Just a kiss?" she repeated in shock. "I don't think I've ever seen an image like that before and labelled it as 'just a kiss.' You make sure you hold on to that one," she said before walking past him with a knowing smile. "Even I can tell that you two have something special."

Absorbing her words, Castle's smile slowly faded as Deloris headed to the register. What did she even mean by something special? Kate was different to anyone he had ever met before, he knew that, but that didn't mean-

"Hey," he heard, as he whipped his head around to find Kate standing next to him, holding out his coffee. "So, she finally left," she noted.

"Yeah," Castle sighed, tentatively grabbing his warm drink and remaining in a partial daze.

"Everything okay?" she questioned, eyeing him curiously.

Inhaling a deliberate breath and releasing it, Castle turned to Kate with a smile. "Yeah. Come on. Let's go check out the next aisle."

* * *

Returning home to his silent loft, Rick placed his keys on the bench and headed straight to his office.

It was _just_ a kiss. Why was that so hard to believe? People kissed all the time, so it didn't have to mean anything. Although, that really didn't stop him from thinking about it.

Seriously. Why couldn't he stop thinking about it?

They only stayed at the bookstore for a little over an hour; talking mainly about the case Kate was working on, but the whole time he couldn't get it out of his head. He was doing perfectly fine before stupid Deloris came along.

Okay, maybe he wasn't, but he was certainly doing better.

Rick rubbed his palms against the side of his face. He simply needed to focus on something else. Find a distraction.

Taking a look around the room, his eyes lit up as he glanced at his large leather chair. Ah-ha. Writing. Yes. He could always count on Derek Storm to help him out.

Smiling, he made his way to the seat and eagerly sat down, opening up his laptop. Wriggling his fingers out in front of him, Rick slightly poked his tongue out in thought before he let his fingers drop and began to write, picking up right where he left off.

_Storm firmly pressed his foot on the brake of his car, but it was no use. He was completely helpless and could do nothing except close his eyes as the vehicle flew off the edge of the dock and into the depths of the Hudson. _

Looking at the lines on the screen, Castle smiled to himself. This was perfect. Letting out a satisfied chuckle, he continued.

_As soon as he hit the water, Storm was overwhelmed by the icy temperature. Sharp pain shot through his body, the intensity almost paralysing and like nothing he had ever felt before. His heart was pounding, he was nervous, but he didn't know why. Although, as soon as he pressed his lips to hers, time stood still, and just for a moment, everything felt right. Her lips were soft as they almost perfectly shaped around his, and that was when he knew. He never wanted to leave this moment. Never wanted to stop kissing-_

Whoa. Rick hurriedly lifted his fingers from the keys and stared blankly at the small flashing cursor on the page, calling for him to continue.

This was ridiculous.

Closing his laptop, Castle stood and walked out of his study before sitting down on the couch with a huff.

"Uh-oh, that's never a good sign," he heard someone mumble from behind.

Turning around, Rick's eyes locked onto his mother as she descended the stairs. "Oh, you're home," he mumbled in response.

"Yeah, just been organising a few things upstairs," she informed as she made her way over to the couch and sat next to him. "So, what's bothering you?"

"Oh, nothing," he answered nonchalantly.

"Please, I'm your mother. I can tell when something is wrong," she sympathetically enlightened. "So, spill it, kiddo."

Castle let out a deep exhale. She was his mother, and she wasn't going to leave until she knew that he was okay. But he couldn't even figure out what was going on, let alone explain it out loud. And the last thing he needed was an 'I told you so'.

Tentatively looking at her, Castle sat up a little straighter. "Ah, it's not me," he cautiously began.

"No?" his mother questioned, her state of surprise expressed through her tone.

"No. It's, ah, it's my buddy," Castle continued, watching her reaction carefully. "Ray."

Martha leaned back sceptically. "Since when did you have a buddy called Ray?"

"Please, Ray and I go way back," he nervously chuckled.

Okay, so this plan obviously wasn't going so well.

Despite her doubt however, Martha dropped it, relaxing her shoulders and tilting her head. "Okay, so what is _Ray's_ problem?"

Letting his smile fall, Rick considered her before cautiously beginning. "Well, Ray has been..."

Pausing, he let out a frustrated sigh and slightly shifted in his seat before attempting again. "There's this woman and..."

He couldn't do it. He was able to write twenty-six bestsellers and he couldn't even form a sentence. Pathetic.

"You know what," he began with a look of defeat, "Forget about it." Rising to his feet, Castle prepared to return to his study when he was stopped by an insistent hand around his wrist.

"Hold on," Martha said warmly, tugging his body back towards her. "Sit back down."

Listening, Rick avoided his mother's gaze as he unenthusiastically returned to the couch. "Now, this has nothing to do with a certain homicide detective has it?" she honestly asked.

Slightly jerking his head back, Rick tried to remain calm. "Mother, I told you I was talking-"

"Yes, yes, talking about Ray," Martha finished for him. "But you know what?" she began, reaching down to the coffee table positioned next to her at the side of the couch. "I don't believe you," she said as she held out the paper for him to see.

Looking down, Castle felt his blood rush through his veins as he was met with a very large image of him kissing Kate.

Giving him a moment, Martha regarded him before continuing. "What's going on, Richard?"

"Nothing. Nothing's going on," he quickly responded.

"Well this sure doesn't look like nothing," she exclaimed. Placing the paper aside, she turned back to her son. "Alexis told me that you were acting strangely when you got home yesterday." Rick sighed and shuffled in his seat. He knew where she was getting at, but she took a moment to watch him, before speaking. "You felt something, didn't you?"

"What? No. Of course not!" he dismissed, scrunching his face in disagreement.

"You sure about that?" Martha questioned, raising her eyebrows.

Letting out a nervous chuckle, Castle responded. "Mother, I'm a writer for goodness sake. A writer with a keen sense of attention for detail. I think I would know if I felt anything for her..." he argued.

The look on his mother's face however, said it all. She didn't believe him. Although, he didn't exactly believe himself either.

"Okay, hypothetically, so what if I felt...something. People kiss all the time. I mean, the chances of probability are that you are bound to feel something every now and then. It's purely logical. And the only reason why I kissed her in the first place was because of the press. I mean, it was raining and she slipped, and we were already standing so close. It wasn't like I was drawn to her or anything...okay, so maybe I was drawn to her, but still, that can't be such a strange thing, can it? And my heart, well that was already pounding because I was worried that she was going to fall, and the shiver that I felt when I kissed her, well that could be explained by the weather since we were drenched after all, and-"

Catching on to his mother's face, Rick paused and took a chance to collect his breath, realising all that he just confessed.

"Richard, you need to tell her," Martha reflectively advised.

"Tell her what?" he helplessly questioned. "'Oh, hi, Kate. It's me, your fake boyfriend. I know we're forced to spend time with each other and we argue all the time, but hey, I think I felt a spark when we fake kissed. Thoughts?'"

"Well, at least it's a place to start," his mother admitted. "Look, just remember that all is fine now as this arrangement you have going continues. But what are you going to do once it's over? You have two weeks, Richard. Two weeks until that girl is going to walk out of your life. What are you going to do then?"

* * *

**Next chap up soon :)**

**BareWriter**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: All these ****characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

* * *

Ten.

That was how many dates she has been on with Castle so far, and on the verge of number eleven, Kate was smiling.

Oh boy. She was smiling.

Pausing in Castle's apartment hallway, Kate quickly smoothed her features. It wasn't like she was looking forward to today or anything. Cause that would mean that she actually wanted to spend time with him. That he made her happy- No. She definitely wasn't looking forward to today. Well, at least not _that_ much...

Shit.

This wasn't good. Not good at all.

Arriving at his door, Kate straightened her shoulders, let out a breath, and knocked.

"It's open!" she heard someone yell from inside the apartment.

Pushing on the handle, Kate cautiously entered and looked around the seemingly empty loft. "Castle?" she questioned, unable to spot the writer.

"I'm down here."

Curious, Kate followed the voice to the front of the couch, a slight smile forming on her lips as she stopped, her eyes locking on a mass on the floor. Lying flat on his stomach, was Castle. His cheek was pressed against his cream colored rug with his head facing her, and his arms and legs uncoordinatedly spread out around him.

"What on earth are you doing?" she questioned skeptically, frowning her face in curiosity.

"I'm experimenting," he mumbled, unfazed by her presence and remaining still on the floor.

"With what, your sanity?" He was like some sort of road kill, the way he managed to starfish himself against the flooring. "Castle, you look like a squished iguana. You haven't been listening to your imaginary friends again have you?"

"No, don't be absurd," he huffed. "Their advice is terrible."

Providing him with an eye roll, Kate moved to sit on the arm of the couch as Castle let out a sigh. "I'm pretending to be dead," he informed matter-of-factly.

"Oh," Kate sarcastically began, widening her eyes. "Well thank goodness for that. Here I was starting to think that you were crazy," she finished with a teasing tone.

"It's called research, okay. I need a character to pretend to be dead in my last Storm novel, but I wasn't sure how long he could realistically last for," he justified.

"And how's it all going for you?"

"Well, it seemed like a perfectly rational idea when I first started," he began to reflect, his words slightly muffled against the fluffy wool and cotton. "But that was before I lost all feeling in my legs and my right arm started to tingle. Not to mention how itchy it is having pieces of rug stuck up my nose. Alexis has been feeding me water through a straw to keep my hydration levels up, but she left to go dress shopping for my book launch about forty-five minutes ago, so-" He slowly trailed off his rant as he caught onto her expression. "What?" he questioned.

Pursing her lips, Kate attempted to hold her laugh. She had spent a lot of time with him over the past month, so nothing he did should surprise her, but that still didn't prevent her from finding amusement in the situation. Besides, he looked absolutely ridiculous.

"Nothing," Kate sighed, shaking her head and catching her smile. "Nothing at all. You know, for a dead body you certainly complain a lot."

"Hey, this is a lot harder than it looks, not to mention how uncomfortable it is!" he adamantly defended. "You try it!"

Giving him a long look, Kate scrunched up her face and considered his offer, before letting out a sigh. "Castle, you're hogging the entire rug. There's no way I'm lying on the floorboards."

"That's easily fixed. I think it's time for some repositioning anyway." Slowly twisting his body, he rolled onto his back, wincing at every movement, and scooted to the edge of the rug. "Ow, ouch. Okay, this is slightly better."

"Oh, so not only does the dead body talk, but he moves too," Kate teased as she grabbed a cushion from the couch and moved to lie down beside him.

"I will have you know that I have been in that one position for a very long time, so I think I deserve a bit of leeway," he informed. "You see the kind of sacrifices I make to ensure my books are authentic?" he reflected after a few moments. "I can't imagine James Patterson doing this," he mumbled.

"Right. So the scene in _Storm Clearing_ where you had Derek Storm take down eight armed assassins with his hands tied behind his back, what would you call that?" she sarcastically questioned, turning her head to face him.

"A highly skilled character," he retorted, before displaying a satisfied grin. "Good to hear you've finished reading it though."

"I haven't finished it," Kate dismissed, quickly looking back up at the ceiling.

"Kate, that scene was in the last chapter."

Remaining motionless, she kept quiet, silently cursing herself and attempting to come up with a logical explanation. He already knew she read his books, but he didn't need to know exactly how quick or eager she was to do so.

"So..." Castle cautiously began, twiddling his thumbs. "What did you think?"

Maintaining her silence, Kate pursed her lips as she stubbornly attempted to hold it together, but she didn't last long as her resolve disappeared and she sat up. "I can't believe you just ended it like that!" she huffed, using her arm to support her weight as she looked down at him.

"What are you talking about?" he chuckled, gazing up at her. "It's called a cliff hanger. One of the greatest plot devices of all time," he justified.

"Yeah, but-" she began, before letting out a sigh and tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Judging by your experiment you've got going on, I'm guessing you've already started writing the last book, right?" she hesitantly questioned.

"Yeah..." Castle slowly responded.

"Well..." she hinted, raising her eyebrows, gesturing for him to elaborate.

"Well?"

"What happens?"

Laughing, Castle scrunched up his face. "I'm not giving you such major spoilers for my next bestseller!"

"Why not?" she genuinely questioned.

"I'm not ruining it for you! You're just going to have to patiently wait like every other fan until it's released," he chuckled. "Besides," he began, "It's fun watching you squirm."

Kate glared at him before frowning her face in disappointment. "Stupid," she scoffed, as she moved to lie back down with a huff. "And call me a fan again and I will break both your legs."

"Noted," Castle smiled, entertained by her frustration. "So, how was work this morning?" he queried, moving the conversation along.

"Pretty good. We closed our case."

"Oooh," he admonished, eyes wide. "Was the murder Castle-esque?"

"Castle-esque?"

"You know. The victim was found half eaten, or had a mutant body part sticking out of him, or was maybe even found in some unknown radioactive sludge-"

"Nope. Our victim was the janitor at the local school," Kate informed, before she noticed Castle opening his mouth to respond. "Who was very much human and found in one piece. Died of a single gunshot wound to the chest," she soon continued, preventing him from butting in.

"What?" he squeaked in disappointment. "Where are people's sense of creativity these days?" he sighed. "What about the killer? Let me guess, it was the butler."

"Yes, Castle. The school janitor's butler killed him," she sarcastically replied.

"Really?"

"No."

"Was it aliens?" he asked after a moment.

"No."

"Magneto?"

"Oh, that would be cool," Kate smiled, turning her head to face him. "I like that one."

"Yeah, how awesome would that be!" he replied, matching her grin. "Although by using his powers to commit murder it would definitely be hard to catch him," he quietly reflected. "So was it?"

"No," Kate sternly responded, accompanied with an eye roll.

"Darn," he replied, the smile dropping from his face. "Ghosts?"

"Do I look like a ghost buster to you?" she questioned, voice raised a level.

"Well maybe if I were to get you one of those awesome jumpsuits..."

She turned her head and offered him a glare, just as the sound of a key being placed in the front door echoed off the walls.

"Hey, Dad," Alexis greeted as she entered the loft and made her way to where she last left her father. "Oh. Hi, Kate."

Sitting up, Kate turned to the teenager. "Hi, Alexis."

"So, Dad. Can you feel your legs yet?" Alexis questioned as she moved closer to the pair.

"No, not really," he mumbled, shifting his gaze away from Kate and to his daughter instead. "Should I be worried?"

Ignoring her father, Alexis smiled at the detective. "Don't tell me that he dragged you into his experiment too. You know he's been lying there all morning."

"Ah, no. He wouldn't stop whining, so- wait," Kate noted, turning back to Castle. "You've been here _all _morning?"

"What?" he nervously chuckled. "I've done other things today. I've simply been doing this in between my very important job of...well, actually writing, and roaming the streets, making sure New Yorkers are okay, looking out for any hints of danger or Bat signals..."

"Oh, so what? You're saying you're secretly Batman now?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Well have you ever seen us in the same room together?" Castle casually responded.

Taken aback by his comeback, Kate could do nothing but offer him with a frown.

"See. Now it's gonna mess with your mind," he overdramatically whispered.

"Don't worry, Kate. He sings in the shower. I can assure you he's definitely not Batman," Alexis intercepted as she began to make her way out of the room.

"And then my daughter goes and ruins the fantasy," Castle sighed in defeat, as Kate laughed at their interaction. "Wait, Alexis. Where are you going?" he quizzed as he noticed his daughter's retreat.

"Ah, I'm just going upstairs to do a bit of work," she casually replied.

"What are you doing back already anyway? I thought you said you and Lauren were going to spend all afternoon shopping?"

"Well, we were, but there was a change of plans," Alexis hesitantly replied, before spinning around to make her way to the stairs.

"Hold on," Castle pressed, slowly moving to sit up. "You two had this organized ages ago. What happened?"

"Nothing, Dad. It's fine," she tried to dismiss.

"Alexis," he sternly reiterated.

Stilling, Alexis turned. "She didn't show," she sighed on a deep exhale. "And when I sent her a text asking where she was, she said she forgot and was going to a day spa with Christie and her mom instead."

"Sweetie-" Castle began, his voice softened and laced with comfort.

"Dad, it's okay. I mean, at least this way I'm able to get some work done this afternoon," she informed with a trying smile.

"But what about your dress? You've been saying all week that now was the only time for you to go."

"I'm sure I can pull something out from my wardrobe. It's no big deal, really."

"Yeah, but you were so excited," he reflected sadly, before a look of determination crossed his features. "You know what, I'll take you."

"What? Dad, I know you and Kate have to go on a date today. It's fine. I don't want you getting in trouble with Paula. And besides Kate's already here-"

"No, Alexis. Don't worry about me," Kate was quick to interrupt, not wanting to intrude. "You two should go shopping," she said, pushing herself up and off the floor.

Alexis shook her head. "Yeah, but-"

"No, Alexis, really," Kate reiterated, dusting stray bits of wool off of her jeans. "And I'm sure if your father explains the situation to Paula she would understand-"

"Unless you come too, Kate?" Castle questioned, hesitantly looking up at Kate.

Stilling her hands and lowering her gaze, Kate blinked at the writer. "What?"

"You should come with us."

"Castle, you don't have to-"

"No, I want you to," he admittedly blurted out, before quickly elaborating. "I mean, you can keep me company while she tries on dresses, and I'm sure Alexis would appreciate a female opinion. And it will also be another chance for us to be seen in public, so..." he fumbled, before taking a moment. "Unless of course you don't want to come?"

Kate didn't answer straight away, her gaze fixed on him as she detected almost a hint of nervousness in his waiting expression. She was literally being shown a fire escape, an exit route that gave her permission to flee so she didn't have to finish their date, and a part of her was screaming at her to take it. It wasn't her place after all, so logically she should just decline and go home to her apartment. Although, if any sense of logical was ever present, it probably disappeared the moment she chose to lie next to her pretend boyfriend as he pretended to be dead on the floor.

Rotating her head to find Alexis' almost pleading expression, Kate answered. "No, ah, I don't mind."

"Really?" Castle reiterated somewhat surprised.

"Yeah," she swallowed.

"Great," he smiled, relief washing over him. "Okay, well Alexis, how about you leave first and we can meet you there. That way you can miss all the press and it would give me a bit of time to allow the blood flow to return to my legs," he said, scrunching up his face as he attempted to unsuccessfully lift the limbs.

"Okay," Alexis smiled, her spirit uplifted. "I'll just go grab my bag."

* * *

"Does my butt look big in this?" Castle questioned to Kate as he poked his bum out, analyzing his reflection in the mirror.

"Dad, put the dress down."

"Yes. Sorry, sweetie," he replied, removing the sequined green dress from his chest and returning it to the rack.

"Argh," he exclaimed, a look of shock horror on his face.

"What?" Kate questioned.

"Look at this one!" he said, pulling out a flamboyant, feathery dress. "This thing is practically alive!"

"Since when were you an expert?" Kate mumbled, as she stepped around him to get to a row of accessorized hats on display. They were still well into winter, but gazing over the collection it seemed as though retailers were already preparing for spring.

"I'm not, but it's just so...wrong," he rationalized, scrunching up his features. "Those poor birds."

"It isn't made out of real birds, Castle," she replied, removing a canary yellow hat from the shelf and briefly spinning to face him. "The feathers are fake. Look, it even says so on the tag," she noted, holding up the small bit of paper dangling off the garment with her spare hand.

"Fake or not, it's still disturbing," he replied, placing it back amongst the other frocks. Rotating around and placing his hands in his jacket pocket, he let out a thoughtful sigh. "You know, I've always wondered what it would be like to be a bird."

Hearing him, Kate lifted her eyes from the piece of headwear in her hands and raised an eyebrow, slowly turning her head to face him.

"I mean, just the freedom they have. All they have to do it flap their little wings and they can fly to wherever their little birdy hearts desired," he began, slowly getting lost in his euphoric daydream. "And just imagine what it would feel like to soar through the clouds, feel the wind brush across your face-"

"Castle, if you were a bird you'd fly into the ceiling fan," Kate spoke, narrowing her eyes playfully before placing the hat down on his head and walking off.

Laughing at their interactions as she searched through the dresses, Alexis turned to the pair. "Are you two always like this?"

"Yes," they replied in sync.

"Although sometimes she can be worse. You should see her some afternoons," Castle began, taking the hat off his head and returning it to its shelf. "She can get a little cranky," he whispered, bringing his hand up to cover the view of his lips from Kate.

"Hey!" Kate scolded, spinning around to face him with a glare.

"See. Oh, and right on time too," he noted to his amused daughter, holding up his watch and confident in his assessment.

Shaking her head, Alexis pulled out another dress.

"Ooh, I like that one," Castle said with a flashy smile, watching as his daughter eyed the purple garment in her hands.

"Dad, you've said that about every dress," she sighed.

"Well that's because everyone has been my favorite," he justified. "And I want you to know, that you look beautiful in anything that you wear," he informed, the seriousness displayed through his tone. "Even if you want to go back to wearing that pink tutu with odd stripy socks like you did in kindergarten."

"Dad, the only memories I have of kindergarten are the tears."

"You weren't a fan?" Kate questioned, turning to Alexis.

"Oh no. The tears weren't from me," Alexis clarified. "They were from my dad."

"Oh, really?" Kate smiled, briefly spinning to face Castle with a teasing expression on her face.

"No joke, after my first day he cried for a week. He was even one of those creepy parents who waited outside the building all day until it was time for me to get picked up."

"That is so not true!" Castle exclaimed in shock.

"Whoa, Castle. You're just a big softy, aren't you?" Kate teased, twisting her lips.

"Okay, so maybe I waited outside," Castle admitted, straightening his shoulders as he looked straight at Kate. "But I definitely didn't cry. And even if I did, I can assure you one-hundred percent that they manly tears. Made from sweat, and dirt, and...manliness," he finished, puffing out his chest a little.

"He was a blubbering mess," Alexis contradicted, shaking her head at her father.

Opening his mouth, Castle gawked at his daughter as he narrowed his eyes, "Traitor," before steping up to Kate. "You know," he began. "Maybe while we are here, we can get you a dress for the book launch too," he offered, suggestedly lifting his eyebrows at her.

"Not happening, Castle," Kate sternly answered.

"Why not?"

"Because I already have one. Captain Montgomery's 25th wedding anniversary six months ago. I've only worn it once," she informed. "Besides," she boldly continued. "I don't think you could handle the sight of me trying on dresses for you."

Okay, what was that? Seriously, she shouldn't be flirting with him in front of his daughter. Wait, she really shouldn't be flirting with him at all…

"Okay, what about this one?" Alexis questioned, as she held out a streamline, strapless number.

"Ah, I don't think so," Castle replied, peeling his stunned gaze away from Kate and plucking the dress out of his daughter's grasp.

"Why? I thought you said I looked beautiful in anything," she retorted, using his previous words against him.

"Yes, anything that contained a decent amount of fabric," he strongly clarified.

"Dad, it's barely above the knee," she pointed out. "Besides, I'm going to be going off to college soon, so-"

"Uh, I don't want to hear it," Castle frowned, slapping his hands over his ears. "We still have a few more years left, so just leave me be in my little protective bubble."

Briefly smiling at his antics, Kate spoke to Alexis. "Do you know what college you want to go to yet?" she questioned.

"I have a few in mind, but I can't really decide. I don't even know what I want to be once I graduate," Alexis admitted.

"Well, it's important to find something that you're passionate about, so then it won't really feel like work. Maybe you could start there?" Kate offered, as she felt Castle straighten up besides her.

"That's funny," Alexis smiled. "That's what dad always says."

Briefly looking to her right, Kate caught Castle's line of site as he smiled at her. "What about you?" Alexis questioned, bringing Kate's attention back to the teenager. "What made you want to become a cop?"

"Yeah," Castle quizzed, his eyes wide and enthused. "Did little Kate Beckett seriously dream of being a detective?"

Darting her eyes, Kate suddenly felt her heart rate quicken. "Ah, not exactly," she attempted to dismiss.

"Well what made you change?" he pressed.

"It's complicated, Castle," she replied, hoping not to draw too much attention to the topic as she tried to appear busy observing the dresses in front of her.

"Come on, you can tell me," he smiled, stepping closer to her.

"Castle, some things are just private, okay?" she warned as she spun to shoot him a glare, internally apologetic for the harshness in her tone.

She held her stare, and after a moment, Castle nodded his head, almost agreeing with her defensiveness. "No, you're right. I'm sorry," he swallowed. "Forget I asked. You know what, I think I'm going to go look for a coffee," he informed, somewhat uneasy. "You ladies want anything?"

"No thanks," they both responded.

"Alright, well I'll be back soon," he shyly smiled, before heading to the exit.

Watching him walk out of the store, Kate let out a cooling breath.

"I'm sorry for prying," Alexis timidly spoke from beside her. "And Dad's really sorry too. He didn't mean to push you either."

"No, it's okay," Kate replied, trying to reassure her with a smile. "I just don't talk about it really."

A moment of silence passed, before something crossed over Alexis' face, and her features softened. "You know, he acts differently with you."

Hearing her, Kate cautiously held Alexis' gaze. "Of course he would," she began, "I mean, we were strangers when Paula conjured this whole thing up-"

"No," Alexis interceded, slightly laughing at Kate's oblivious reaction. "I mean, compared to all the other women he's seen, he acts differently when he's around you. He actually acts like himself," she smiled. "The man that appears in front of the press, that's not really him, and once he gets home, he's just my dad. He plays guitar hero in his underwear- actually," she continued frowning her face, "He does a lot of things in his underwear," receiving a laugh from Kate. "But the point is, despite you two being in this whole pretend relationship, he's probably being more honest with you then he's ever been with anyone. He's a good guy," she hinted, "A bit of a goofball, but still a good guy. Just, give him a chance and he might surprise you."

Taken aback, Kate shyly smiled, shaking her head in amusement as she thought of Castle and his antics.

"Anyway," Alexis smiled. "I'm going to go try these on," she informed, holding up a collection of coat hangers and material over the crook over her elbow. "Do you mind holding on to these for me?" she asked as she peeled her gloves off her hands and held them out to Kate.

"Sure."

* * *

With Alexis' words ringing in her ears, Kate tried to keep herself occupied by searching through the nearby dresses.

"Hey," came a voice, as she turned around to find herself face to face with Castle. "How's Alexis doing?" he questioned, gesturing to the change rooms behind her.

"Good. She's trying on a few dresses that she liked."

"Here," he said, pulling a coffee out of the disposable holder in his hands and giving it to her. "I know you both said no, but I got you and Alexis one anyway. Besides, since when did you say no to caffeine?" he nervously chuckled, as she took the warm cup from his grasp.

"Thank you," she smiled.

Slowly dropping his smile and shuffling on his feet, Castle hesitated. "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened before. It's your private life and it's none of my business. I had no right to intrude like that."

Chewing the inside of her lip, Kate briefly looked away. She shouldn't tell him. She had no need to open up to him at all, let him in like that-

_Just give him a chance and he might surprise you._

But deciding to take a risk, she looked up at him. "It was because of my mom."

"Your mom?"

She could see him shift, silently encouraging her to continue, so sucking in a breath, she did. "When I was nineteen, she was murdered," she informed, narrowing her eyes as she briefly gazed over the displayed dresses. "Stabbed in an alley from random gang violence."

She didn't open up to anyone, didn't allow her vulnerable side to see the light, but as soon as the words passed her lips, she felt an odd sense of comfort rush over her. Somehow, telling him felt different, almost somewhat natural, despite it being against everything that they were used to.

She could see his features softening as he gazed at her tenderly, before quietly clearing his throat. "Was it a robbery?"

"Nope. She still had her money and phone. But the killer was never caught. So that's why I became a cop," she informed, inhaling a deep, relieving breath and now holding his gaze. "I know what it feels like to not have any answers, to only be left with questions, so every time I cross the crime scene tape I do so to not only find justice for others, but to provide some sort of closure to those left behind," she finished, avoiding his stare as she rapidly blinked her eyelids, desperately trying to prevent the tears from pooling in her eyes.

"So, I guess all of this emotional baggage wasn't part of the deal, Castle," she said, clearing her throat. "You should probably advise Paula to select your next girlfriend more wisely," she sighed with a slight smile, as she wiped her hands over her eyes.

Castle took a moment to consider her. "Hmm, I don't know. I normally don't agree with most things she does, and I mean, those initial dates _were_ kind of tough," he sarcastically began, trying to lighten the mood. "But," he paused. "I think she did a pretty good job."

Kate lifted her eyes to his as he offered her a comforting smile, his eyes sparkling and slightly crinkled around the edges. "Although I must admit it helps when you don't get angry at me," he added, receiving a shy laugh from Kate. "And when you laugh at my jokes. I like that too," he quickly mumbled.

Standing amongst the racks of dresses, they both were unsure of what to do with the honesty and sincerity they normally weren't willing to share. So instead of trying to interpret it, they simply soaked up the moment, their lips curved into matching smiles.

"So," Alexis spoke from behind them, causing Kate and Castle to turn around as the teen nervously stepped out of the change rooms, smoothing out the edges of the powder blue dress. "What do you guys think?"

* * *

**So I know this wasn't exactly soon like I said it would be, but it was done as quickly as possible. Thanks for still reading! **

**BareWriter**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: All these ****characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

* * *

With her cheeks pressed up against her palms and the sharp angle of her elbows digging into her desk, Kate glared at the pair of gloves positioned next to her keyboard. Staring back at her. Taunting her. And completely messing with her mind. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she dropped her arms, allowing them to rest against the heavy wood. They were only a pair of gloves for goodness sakes. Completely harmless.

Although, the problem was that they weren't hers. They were Alexis', forgotten after yesterdays shopping trip until she discovered them in her handbag this morning. At first she thought it was no big deal, she could simply return them to Castle tomorrow, as tomorrow was their next scheduled date.

But now, as the bustle of the precinct had died down and it was on the verge of near empty, she was about to go insane. She still had a hefty pile of files in front of her that required her signature, but for some frustrating, inconceivable and completely impractical reason, she couldn't concentrate. Couldn't squish that stupid voice in her head that was encouraging her, almost daring her, to return them today. See _him_ today.

Picking up the paired items, Kate frowned. If Castle were here, he'd be trying to convince her that they were a sign. 'A message from the universe,' to be exact. She could practically see him with that smug smirk on his face, his eyes slightly creased, yet-

Great. And now she was thinking about him. Again.

It was the gloves.

Lifting up a file, Kate dropped it down on top of the accessories, effectively covering them from her view. After all, today was a date free day, a Castle free day more specifically, so the absolutely last thing that she should even be considering was to go see him. No, she shouldn't think like that. Couldn't think like that.

Looking at her large pile of files, Kate combed her fingers through her hair. She could do this. Pulling down the top file, Kate opened it up and prepared to read. All she needed to do was stop thinking about him.

Just don't think about Castle. Don't think about Castle. Don't think about-

Okay, now this was just getting ridiculous. She needed to do something, _anything_ to put an end to this, so maybe, just maybe-

Looking at her unappealing, cold cup of precinct quality coffee, Kate bit her lip, contemplating. She could do with some fresh and decent caffeine anyway, and there was that great twenty-four hour coffee shop that just so happened to be near his place. Well, nearish to his place. Okay, well at least it was in the general vicinity. She could simply go grab a cup of coffee, and quickly drop by and see him on the way- No. Return Alexis' gloves. She could quickly drop buy and return Alexis' gloves on the way.

"Girl, I'm telling you. The way you're headed, you're going to give yourself a nasty ulcer."

Extracting herself from her thoughts, Kate lifted her head. "Lanie? What are you doing here?"

Positioned in a chair next to Kate's desk, Lanie overdramatically crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Oh, I simply came down to check on my friend. Make sure she's still alive since I haven't heard so much as a peep from her lately," the medical examiner said harshly, providing Kate with an accusing stare.

Sitting up straighter, Kate pulled some loose strands of hair behind her ear. "How long have you been sitting here?" she hesitantly questioned, her nerves slightly coming through her tone.

"Long enough to notice that whatever is distracting you, it most definitely is not case related," she noted confidently. "You do realize you've been giving dreamy eyes to a pair of gloves..."

Kate frowned. "My eyes aren't dreamy," she adamantly responded, before quickly rubbing her eyes for extra measure. "I'm just a little tired."

"Oh, so that's what that was," Lanie replied with an unbelieving glare as Kate stood from her chair. "So, where were you off to?"

Neatening her desk a little, Kate avoided her freind's stare. "Ah, nowhere particular," she replied.

"_Nowhere particular?" _Lanie repeated. "Girl, quit being so difficult. You're like a damn Rubik's Cube."

Straightening out her files, Kate used the time to consider her options. She could leave out the information concerning her little detour, but really, her reasons were perfectly justified, so she had nothing to be worried about. "I'm gonna grab a cup of coffee, and quickly go by Castle's on the way. No big deal," she attempted to casually shrug.

"What? You two have a date _now_? It's 10pm!"

Kate swallowed and continued to look busy. "Ah, no. Not exactly," she replied, internally hoping, praying that Lanie wouldn't fit the pieces together.

"Not-? Wait, so you're telling me that you're going to see Castle, despite the fact that you don't have to?"

Clearly, she was out luck. Looking at her waiting friend, Kate picked up her cold cup of coffee. "Maybe," she replied, before spinning around and escaping into the break room.

"Oh-no. Don't think you can run away from me, Kate Beckett," Lanie replied, beginning pursuit. "He's growing on you, isn't he?"

"Lanie, you make him sound like some sort of parasite," Kate sighed, emptying the contents of the mug down the sink. "Although now that you mention it..."

Feeling her friend's stare, Kate briefly turned back to face her. "I'm going to return Alexis' gloves. That's it."

"I'm not even going to ask how his daughter's gloves ended up with you, but I'm telling you, lying is not your strong point," Lanie instructed as she rested her hands on her hips. "You can't at least tell me that the kiss I saw plastered in the papers had no affect on you. The kiss which we are still yet to talk about, I might add," she continued, pushing for a reaction.

Kate froze and felt her heart rate pick up. That was completely different territory. Territory which was just easier to ignore and-

"Or are you just pretending like it didn't happen?"

Okay, she was good...

"No, it- happened," Kate responded, begging her body to relax, "but-"

"Well damn, Girl. A kiss like that deserves an appropriate response, and not just to be used as daydreaming material."

Rinsing the mug clean, Kate kept calm, before placing it on the sink. "I was thinking about work."

"Oh, so you're saying that the photos of old Mr. Thompson lying on my slab caused you to develop that little blush I saw creeping up your cheeks? I mean, I don't usually go for that kind of thing but if that's what you're into, then-"

Lanie clearly wasn't giving up, so spinning around to face the other woman, Kate complied, dropping her arms against her side. "Okay, fine, so I might have been thinking about Castle," she blurted, interrupting her friend's speech. Noticing the smile that began to spread across Lanie's face however, Kate quickly continued. "But briefly. Only for a split second. Actually, no. Make that half a second, and he was literally a passing thought..."

"Yes, and how much work have you gotten through exactly?" Lanie rebutted, pursing her lips and raising her eyebrows.

Kate considered her, attempting to swallow the lump in her throat. So, yes. Maybe they were getting along better, and maybe she found herself thinking about him from time to time, but-

"Well, we're spending a lot of time together. Surely other people who have been in fake relationships have found their thoughts drifting once or twice..."

"Jeez," Lanie began, overdramatically rolling her eyes. "Why don't you do some research? There might be some support groups out there for all of you to get together and compare, or at least a hotline or something," she replied, receiving a sarcastic glare from Kate. "You know it's unhealthy to keep everything bottled up like you do?"

"Please, now you sound like my Dad," Kate frowned. "And I don't bottle anything up," she added before heading back to her desk.

"Oh, so that's why you're telling me that you're going to skip halfway across town to simply drop off a pair of gloves?"

"Yes."

"So you're not using them as an excuse to perhaps see a certain hunky someone?"

It was hard enough trying to convince herself, let alone someone else, but letting out a sigh, Kate replied. "I just... don't want her to miss them."

"Yes, despite the fact she is the daughter of a multi-millionaire and probably has a pair of gloves for each day of the week," Lanie highlighted.

"What if they're her favorite?" Kate casually shrugged, lifting her coat from behind her chair and pulling her arms through the holes.

Lanie simply stood there and watched as the detective fixed her collar, allowing a moment of silence to pass. "Whoa," Lanie finally spoke.

Completely oblivious, Kate raised her eyebrows in question and locked eyes with her friend. "What?"

Lanie was smiling, but this was different. The mood had somehow shifted and Lanie relaxed her shoulders as her features softened. "You seriously have it bad for him, don't you?"

Kate was stuck, completely frozen in place as the words of denial refused to pass her lips. Quickly breaking eye contact however, Kate quietly cleared her throat. "I told you, I don't-"

"Girl, save it," Lanie interrupted, holding up her hand. "Go."

As if they both signed an unspoken agreement, had an unspoken understanding, Kate offered her friend a shy smile, and pulling her handbag strap over her shoulder, began to make her way to the elevator.

"Ah, Kate?"

Spinning around, Kate raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Yeah?"

"You might want to take these," Lanie advised, picking up the forgotten gloves from her desk.

"Right," Kate noted, walking back to her friend. "Thanks."

* * *

"Come with me to the dark side, my progeny. Fulfill your destiny!"

Poking his head out from the edge of the lounge room wall, Castle took a brief glance around the immediate area, attempting to catch sight of his daughter.

"Ha!" Alexis shouted, jumping out from behind the couch, gun drawn. "You will never turn me!"

Twisting his body to get back behind his cover, Castle raised the gun against his laser tag vest. "But your failure is imminent, young one," he responded with his best sci-fi voice. "All your secrets shall soon be discovered and then you will be begging to come join me!"

"Never!" came her enthusiastic reply as she hurriedly dove behind the coffee table.

"Well then," Castle began, finger firmly placed on the trigger. "It looks like you must be destroyed!" Satisfied, Rick jumped out and shot at the small table, hardly registering the fact that Alexis was no longer there, before his vest suddenly sounded and died.

Turning around, Castle found his smirking daughter standing behind the kitchen island, gun now resting on her hip.

"You shot me!" he squealed, looking down at his vest. "But how did you-? I was the one who first taught you how to wrap your tiny little finger around the trigger. How is it that you now beat me?"

"I don't know, Dad," Alexis replied, walking towards him with a satisfied grin. "Maybe you're just getting too old for this."

"I'm not old. I'm still very youthful. The youthfulness is radiating from me."

"Well youthful or not, it looks like the student has finally become the master," she confidently smiled, blowing at the top of her gun.

Castle scrunched up his face. "I feel disappointed yet oddly proud at the same time," he reflected, unstrapped the flashing laser tag vest from his chest.

Dropping her smile, Alexis placed her gun back in the large storage box, allowing a moment of silence to pass. "Ah, speaking of disappointment..."

"What?"

"Well, we have Greg's wedding coming up," she continued, slowly lifting her head.

"Yeah. Sunday. So?" Castle questioned, watching his daughter cautiously.

"I can't go anymore."

"What? Why not?" he replied, voice raised a pitch.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't realize it was the same day as Beth's birthday, and she's organized this massive day for all us girls and I know you only invited me so you could have a plus one, so I just figured that you could find someone else to go with you."

Letting his daughter catch her breath, Castle released a sigh. "Alexis, it's two nights away. And you know what those bridesmaids are like. They're like sexual piranhas the way they stalk the dateless men out. At least having you there would ward them off a bit."

"Well I'm sure Grams is free," she casually suggested.

"No, there's no way I'm taking your grandmother. Forget the bridesmaids. Your grandmother is in a league of her own," he shivered. He has way too many memories of her at those types of events and- ew. It was just best not to go there...

"I'm sorry, Dad. Look, if you really want me to go, I can."

Watching her through his laser tag goggles, Castle let out a sigh and shook his head. "No, it's okay. I will relieve you from your plus one duties. But on one condition," he began sternly. "We play one more round. Winner takes all," he offered, playfully raising his eyebrows and dramatically lifting his gun.

Alexis smiled. "Deal."

"But I warn you, my child," Castle informed, moving to strap his laser tag gear back on. "Revenge is sweet," he overdramatically whispered.

"Ha, we'll see about that!"

Both grinning, they moved to get into position, before Castle froze, lifting his gaze to the ceiling.

"What?" Alexis questioned, curiously watching her father.

"Shh! Did you hear that?" he whispered, eyes wide.

"Hear what?"

"Banging," Rick replied, completely entranced.

Moving to stand beside him, Alexis offered him a suspicious stare. "Dad, I don't hear anything."

"No, it's definitely coming from up there. We could have someone trying to break in, or maybe it's Boba Fett coming to aid me in my quest for world domination!" he admonished with an evil chuckle. Feeling his daughter's judgmental stare however, Castle soon dropped his grin and cleared his throat. "You know, either way, I should probably call Kate. Get her to bring her gun and scope the place out."

Widening her eyes, Alexis gaped at her father. "You just want to see her, don't you!"

"That is not what this is about," he disagreed somewhat unconvincingly.

Sagging her shoulders, Alexis let out a sigh. "Dad..."

"What? As a responsible father, I just want to make sure we're safe," he attempted to justify.

Skeptical, Alexis raised her eyebrows at him. "It's good to see that you're finally trying to come up with other excuses then your dates to see her, but this? Don't you think you should try something a little more realistic?"

"I'm not using our dates as an excuse to see her. That's... ridiculous," he nervously chuckled.

"No. What's ridiculous is the both of you continuing like you are. Everyone can see what's going on except for apparently you two," she honestly replied, before looking up to her father with a slight shrug. "You know, if you wanted you could always take her to the wedding with you."

Rick opened his mouth to begin another line of denial, but wherever it was, he couldn't get it to surface. Swallowing, he relaxed his posture. "Alexis, she wouldn't-" he began, before letting out a sigh. "Kate only agreed to go to the dates Paula organized. There's no way she'd want to-"

"Dad, maybe you should just ask her before you determine her response," she offered softly. "Besides, it would give you two a chance to spend some time together in public without all the press, and with such a romantic setting, you never know what could happen," she not so innocently hinted.

Remaining adamant however, Castle was quick to reply. "See, that's where your plan falters," he rebutted. "No press. That's what this is all about."

"Dad, that's not what this is all about and you know it," she frankly admitted as she held his gaze.

Rick could do nothing but stand there, completely helpless to the onslaught of his own thoughts, his own feelings, before he heard a knock at the door. "Did you order takeout?"

"No," Alexis responded, shaking her head. "Maybe you phantom burglar thought it was more polite to come through the front door instead," she commented with a slight shrug.

Ignoring her tease, Castle lifted his gun. "Well then, I guess I better go check this out."

"Alright. Well, while you go recruit Boba Fett, I'll be upstairs," Alexis replied, shockingly uninterested as she made her way to the staircase.

Castle however, was completely enthralled. "Looks like I'll be fighting this one solo," he dramatically whispered to himself as he crept towards the door. Molding his hand around the metal handle, he took a moment to adjust his laser tag armor, before eagerly swinging it open. "Step back, or I will zap your brains out with my- it's you!"

Lowering his gun to his side and lifting his goggles to rest on top of his head, Castle stood there, shocked as his eyes locked onto those of Kate Beckett.

Her lips parted, attempting to come up with an appropriate response, before settling on a slight frown instead. "Yeah, hi, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come without calling first," she apologized.

Sensing her retreat, Castle took a quick step forwards. "No, wait, I didn't mean that in a bad way," he hurriedly clarified. "I was just surprised to see you, that's all," he smiled, somewhat stunned by her presence. "So, what brings you around?"

Peeling her eyes away from his, Kate briefly looked down to her hands. "Ah, these actually," she replied, lifting up Alexis' gloves.

Intrigued, Rick watched her with a curious stare. "You came all the way here just to return her gloves?"

Locking eyes once again, he could have sworn he saw a flash of panic cross her face, before she offered a slight shrug. "Yeh, well I needed some coffee, and the coffee shop was near your place, well sort of, so I figured I would drop by on the way," she anxiously smiled.

"What coffee shop?"

"Ah, never mind. Here," she said, offering him the gloves.

"Well, thank you," Castle smiled, amused by her apparent nervousness. "So did you want to come in?"

"Oh, no, I should really get going," she quickly replied, offering a nod for extra reassurance.

Castle however, wasn't going to be persuaded that easily. "What about a compromise, I could accompany you back to the precinct and we could grab that cup of coffee of yours?"

"You really don't have to do that."

He didn't know what it was, but something, call it a tingling in his gut or some sort of universal magnetic pull, didn't want to say goodbye to her just yet. Confidently puffing out his chest a little, he continued. "Actually, yes. I do."

"You do?"

"Yes. You see, this is precisely a plot I would concoct myself. You and I know _exactly_ how this is going to end," he nodded.

"And how's that?" she questioned, cynically raising eyebrow.

"Kate left the handsome author, instead choosing to walk-"

"Catch a cab…"

Raising his hand for her silence, Castle continued his narration. "Instead choosing to travel through the shadows of the night alone." Pausing for dramatic effect, he widened his eyes. "And she was never heard from again," he whispered.

"Oh," she scoffed. "Seriously?"

"Yes, and when they send the search party out looking for you, who's going to be the number one suspect? The last known person who saw you, which would be me. See, so for the sake of my freedom, you've got no option but to say yes," he smugly smiled, satisfied with his efforts.

Kate however wasn't, as watched him with a curious glare, seemingly weighing up her options. Okay, so his efforts might have been a litte pathetic and somewhat melodramatic, so unstrapping his laser tag vest, he tried again. "Okay, how about my shout?"

* * *

Gripping their coffees, Rick used his body to hold open the coffee shop door as Kate waked past him, stepping into the cold chill of the air. Following, he handed over her warm drink, before they fell into a synchronized stride, walking side by side down the pavement. Alone. No press. No Paula barking out instructions. It was just them. And it was kind of nice.

"So," Kate began, taking a sip of her liquid. "Does that normally work for you?"

Recollecting his focus, Castle turned his head to face her. "What?"

"Step back or I will zap your brains out," she recapped, amused, but omitting some of the flare he originally greeted her with.

"It seemed like the most rational threat to use at the time."

"Oh, of course," she responded sarcastically.

"Well I got a bit caught up in laser tag, so when I heard you knock I thought you were Boba Fett," he responded. "Not that I think you look like him or anything- although, he is known for being both mysterious and dangerous, so I guess I could see some similarities-" Catching her frown and his own apparent lack of a filter, Castle stopped. "Ah, it's a sci-fi, Star Wars thing, so- you wouldn't understand," he quickly dismissed.

Continuing her stride however, Kate narrowed her eyes. "I find your lack of faith disturbing."

Confused, Castle narrowed his brow. "Disturbing? It's not disturbing, it's simply-wait." Pausing, Castle jerked his head to her in disbelief. "Did you just quote Darth Vader?"

As if the whole conversation was her plan to render him speechless, yet again, Kate simply raised an eyebrow and flashed him with a knowing smile.

He grinned, before once again catching up to her side. "You see. Mysterious."

She was unbelievable the way she could do that, allow him to slowly learn more about her, get a peak to yet another side, another layer, another- "You know, you remind me of an onion."

"Oh, first Boba Fett and now an onion. Charming."

"No, just give me a chance to explain," he reassured. "You have layers. Just like an onion. And slowly, you peel back those layers-"

"And now you're mentally undressing me?"

Why wasn't this sounding as logical as it had in his head? "Ah, okay, I admit, that didn't exactly come out right," he fumbled. "But my point is, every time I think I have you figured out, you surprise me," he smiled, catching her gaze and attempting to illustrate the sincerity in his voice.

She watched him for a moment, before focusing her eyes ahead. "Yeah, well you too."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she sighed, before briefly turning to him with a teasing glint in her eye. "Your ability to continuously test my patience levels never ceases to amaze me."

"Whoa, I kinda set myself up for that one," Castle responded, before sneaking a look at her. She was still smiling, so with a mischievous spark, he continued. "Although, you know that if anyone's patience levels were wearing thin, it would be mine," he nonchalantly mumbled, molding his lips around his coffee cup to conceal his obvious amusement.

"And how's that?"

"Well have you ever tried dating you? It's not exactly easy..."

Hearing him, Kate came to a halt. "What?"

He loved this- teasing her, driving her crazy, and taking a few more steps forward, he eventually spun around to face her. Doing so however, he had to catch his smile as he noted the way her forehead was creased into a little frown, her lips shaped into the slightest of pouts. Adorable.

"Mmm-hmm. Actually, this gives me a chance to get some things off my chest. Do you know I have to base my conversations with you depending on what mood you're in? It's like a pre conversation safety procedure. First I assess your threat level, which can be very hard to determine, by the way, but I've come to realize that whenever you're grumpy, you're nose starts to do this cute little twitch thing, and I always know when to shut-up when you do that- oh, there it is-"

"Oh, well what about me?" she rebutted, stalking towards him. "Dating you is like babysitting a five year old."

"A very handsome five year old," he cautiously added, wary of keeping a reasonable distance between them. Mysterious _and_ dangerous, remember.

"Actually, make that a monkey. A monkey high on red cordial."

"That's a bit harsh. Although at least I'm a monkey that buys you coffee."

"Yeah, well," she shrugged, walking past him. "I guess you've gotta be good for something," she teased.

Okay seriously, why does he get into these with her again? "You know, lucky I know you're joking. I mean, otherwise, you should be seriously concerned for the state of my mental health and self- wait, you are joking, right?" he questioned, admittedly a little worried.

"I don't know. Writer-monkey does have a bit of a ring to it," she said, before flashing him with a smile.

Unable to do anything but smile back at her in relief, a moment of silence passed before Kate stopped and hesitantly turned to him. "You don't really assess my mood, do you?"

"Well, there was that one time when-" witnessing the speed at which she drew her eyebrows in a frown, he quickly raised his hands. "I'm kidding, kidding," he chuckled.

Catching sight of the Precinct up ahead and the subsequent end of their journey, Castle nervously dug his nail into the side of the styrofoam as they continued to walk. "Hey, thank you."

"For what?"

"For yesterday," he earnestly began. "You didn't have to come shopping with us and it meant a lot to Alexis to get a dress."

Kate watched him before slightly shying away and taking another sip of coffee. "No, it was no big deal, really. I mean, we were meant to spend the afternoon together anyway, so it was really just a change of location," she shrugged. "Besides, Little Castle is fine. Big Castle on the other hand..." she teased, before breaking out a grin and slightly nudging his elbow with her own.

Coming to a halt, Castle watched her as she continued to walk, a smile etched across his lips. It was ridiculous how much he did this lately, was doing this with _her _lately, and before he knew it, he was already talking. "So I guess that means you won't be interested in seeing me again on Sunday?"

With the hint of a smile still on her lips, Kate turned back to face him. "What are you talking about? Our next date's tomorrow. Tomorrow's Friday."

Castle stood there. Oh, boy. There was no turning back now. "Yes, but I'm talking about Sunday. An old college friend of mine is getting married, and Alexis was meant to go with me, but she's bailed, leaving me partnerless." Pausing, he cleared his throat. "So, I was wondering if you would like to go," he questioned, way too nervous than necessary. "With me..."

"We don't have to see each other on Sunday."

"I know," he admitted, but sensing her apprehension, he quickly continued. "But since you're pretending to be my girlfriend and all I figured you were a perfect candidate."

Kate chewed her lip, remaining silent. "Come on, help a guy out," he added. "If you agree, I'll make it up to you. On our remaining dates, you can tell me what to do," he eagerly smiled.

"I always tell you what to do, you just never listen."

Okay, she made a valid point. Dammit. Come on, think. Surely he could think of something else, anything, for her to just say-

"Alright. I'll go."

Wait. She'll what? "You'll come?"

She nodded, almost looking like she was fighting something within herself, before letting out a smile. "Yeah. But no more comparing me to Boba Fett."

Chuckling, Castle nodded his head in agreement. "Okay."

"Or onions."

"Got it," he laughed, way too in awe to say or do anything else.

"Well, I better get back to work."

"Yeah," Castle agreed. "I better get back to Alexis. We have a battle to complete."

Offering him a final smile, Kate turned around and began to make her way to the doors of the Precinct. "Hey, Kate," he called after her, causing her to spin around. "Just, ah, be careful. You know, with the whole guns and murderers and killing thing," he said as he began to ever so slowly walk backwards, not wanting to just stand there like an idiot but unwilling to lose sight of her either.

"Thanks. You too. Well, with your laser tag anyway."

"Yeah," he chuckled before almost tripping over his own feet. So maybe walking backwards wasn't the best of ideas…

"Night, Castle."

"Until tomorrow," he smiled.

"Yeah," she replied, matching his grin before turning around and heading back into the precinct.

* * *

**A/N: So I'm cautiously poking my head out here, accompanied with a massive apology as I've gotten into this really bad habit lately of posting chapters about every month or so (or sometimes longer). There are a whole lot of reviews and PMs I haven't replied to yet, but I'm getting there, and I assure you that I've read every single one of them and they do make a difference. Now to the good news. My exams are done, university for the next two months is done and the crazy period of Christmas and New Years is done, which means one thing; more time to write. So look out for the return of regular updates and Happy Castle Monday everyone! :)**

**Bare Writer**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

* * *

Kate shuffled her feet as she stood in the precinct elevator, waiting, as she slowly began to ascend to her floor. Suddenly hearing her phone ring, she searched through her bag before finally spotting the object, the flashing caller ID on display.

"Hey, Dad."

"Katie," her father greeted on the other end of the line. "How's my girl doing?"

"Yeah, everything's pretty much the same," she replied into the device as the old elevator laboured its way to the third floor.

"Well I was thinking of visiting some time. Come and see how you're really going with my own eyes."

She could tell even on the phone that he was taking a jab at her somewhere in there, although he was her father. It was probably expected. "Yeah, that sounds great."

"Well what about Sunday?"

"Uh, I can't do Sunday, I've ah-" Got fake girlfriend duties? A date? "I've got plans," she finally settled with, just as the doors opened to the fourth floor. She stepped out, taking a quick glance around before she finally spotted Castle.

He was in front of her desk and clearly way too entertained for someone who was standing by himself, and seemingly being ignored by the whole homicide department.

"It's Castle, Detective Castle," he spoke in a husky tone, holding out something enclosed in his palm. Shaking his shoulders, he tried again, this time with more vigour and excitement. "Richard Castle, NYPD. Stop! In the name of the law!" Loudly clearing his throat, he overdramatically scratched his chin before holding out the item in his hand again. "What you lookin' at scumbag. Huh? You wanna take a ride downtown?"

Pursing her lips, Kate shook her head. "Hey, listen, Dad, I've got to go. I'll call you back later," Kate spoke, somewhat distracted by the scene before her, before hanging up.

"Whoa, why do you writer's always call them scumbag?" Esposito questioned to Castle, looking up from his computer and interrupting his solo performance.

"Yeah, us real cops, we prefer dirt bag," Ryan nodded, joining in.

"Or punk," Esposito added.

"Ooh, I like it," Castle grinned, before hardening the features on his face and looking directly at the boys. "What you lookin' at, _punk_?"

Esposito smiled in approval. "Yeah, that was a good one, Castle."

"Yeah, you think so?" he grinned seemingly preparing for another presentation, before Esposito's eyes widened, signalling for the writer to stop. "What?" Castle began, taking a brief look around before he turned and his eyes met with hers. "Oop, Kate's here."

Coming to a halt, Kate glanced across all three men's faces, before settling back onto Castle. "What are you doin'?" she questioned, frowning her eyebrows.

"I' m, ah, Esposito let me temporarily borrow his badge-"

Stopping, Kate turned her head to glare at Esposito.

"Don't look at me," the detective exclaimed. "He got to play with my badge for five minutes while I got front row seats to the Knicks game. You know, for someone who's pretty successful, I don't think he's that smart."

Frowning, Kate returned her gaze to the writer. "Castle, give it back."

Quickly moving to the Esposito's desk, Castle quickly released the item before mouthing an apology to the male detective. She's guessing she wasn't meant to see that.

Esposito looped his badge back around his neck, before looking back up to Kate. "Wait, do I still get the tickets?" he questioned with a slight whine.

"No, you can't just go leasing your badge out," she sternly answered, before turning back to face Castle. "And you, this is not your opportunity to play cop."

"I wasn't- that's not what-" he began to fumble.

"Zip it, Dirty Harry,"she smiled. "Time to go."

* * *

Standing in her apartment kitchen, well in front of her open kitchen cupboards more specifically, Castle let out a disbelieving sigh. "This is worse than I remembered. Have you been shopping at all since I last came? I should have packed a lunch box. Or at least a sandwich."

Sitting on the floor with a cushion tucked under her and her back supported by the front of her couch, Kate creased her forehead. "Good to see that even though you've only been here a handful of times you make yourself right at home," she sarcastically noted, keeping her attention focused on the novel resting on her thighs as she turned another page.

"Haven't you ever heard?" Castle responded, briefly poking his head out from her cupboard. "What's yours is mine. Its relationship basics."

"Castle, I think that's only reserved for married couples," she smiled. "Or at least couples that are actually in a relationship."

Letting out a dramatic sigh, Castle responded. "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter, cause by the looks of it, you don't exactly have much..." he mumbled as he continued to gaze upon the shelves. "This is what I'd expect post apocalypse. It's just so...empty," he exclaimed, scrunching up his face in mock horror.

Easing her grin, Kate shut her novel and crossed her legs in front of her. "Okay, what's going on with you?"

Castle looked at her, seemingly surprised at her detection, before closing her cupboard doors. "Nothing, I just-"

"Castle, you've been moping since you've gotten here and you can't seem to sit still. And don't even get me started on your little performance back at the precinct," she sternly informed.

He offered a shrug. "Well, this_ is_ _me_ you're talking about."

Unwilling to accept his attempted deflection, however, Kate pressed on. "Castle..."

"Okay, fine," he began, moving to sit on the couch."I'm worried about Alexis."

Kate looked up at him and slightly shifted in her position on the floor so she could face him. "Alright. How come?"

Castle hunched his shoulders, the anguish etched across his features, before he finally responded. "I think she has a boyfriend."

Hearing him, her sympathy disappeared as she displayed a slight frown. "_That's_ what this is all about?"

"Yes, and it's a very serious matter," Castle sternly replied, persistent in his worry. "What do you think? Do you think she has one?"

"Castle, I've only met her like three times. How do you expect me to know?"

"Well, you're a girl, can't you pick up on these girly things?"

"No, despite what you think, we don't work like that," she chucked, before sensing his genuine concern. "Okay," she sighed, shifting closer to him. "Why do you think she has a boyfriend?"

"This morning as I was getting ready to go to the precinct, she told my mother and me to make sure we were at the loft for dinner tomorrow night, and all she said, was that there was someone that she wanted us to meet."

"Well, are you even sure that this someone is a him, and not just one of her girl friends?"

"Yes," he confidently nodded. "After my subtle but effective interrogation, I discovered that the suspect is Albert McKinnon, a boy who's in her history and literature classes and apparently has 'eyes that sparkle'. As her father, I completely disapprove and I'm extremely concerned about the implications of this," he huffed.

"Oh, you're right, Castle. This is serious. She's on the verge of complete and utter rebellion," Kate teased, overdramatically nodding her head.

"This isn't funny. I don't even know who this hormonal kid is, or what he's doing with my daughter," Rick justified on a whine. "She's my little girl."

"Yes, but she's also growing up, Castle. You can't keep her locked up in the house forever."

"Trust me, I would, but for some reason that's illegal."

Letting out a sigh, Kate positioned her elbow against the couch, allowing her to rest her chin on her palm. "Castle, come on. You're overreacting just a tad don't you think?"

"Yeah, but- I know she's seen boys before, but, this is the first one she's wanted to bring home. I just- I don't know, I guess it just makes it more real."

Kate took a moment to consider him. He was different when he was like this; being a dad. "Castle, Alexis is a smart girl. By the sounds of it, she's happy and just experiencing what it feels like to be in love for the first time."

"Yeah, I know," he unwillingly agreed, momentarily dropping his head before jerking it back up again. "Although who names their child Albert these days anyway? Seriously, he's destined to become either a genius or a serial killer. Or a serial killing genius."

"Okay, you've gotta stop thinking like that," Kate chuckled. "Although- wait, is that what that was all about with Espo's badge?"

Castle shrugged his shoulders. "I thought that if I could borrow it for a night and conveniently place it next to me at the dinner table, then Albie might have reassessed his feelings toward Alexis."

"Please tell me you're kidding?"

"Don't worry, Esposito said no anyway," he sighed, before suddenly lighting up. "Although, what about you, could you come over? Your gun would be way more affective then a badge anyway, and you could be dressed all bad assed and mean and then just stare at him with that look that you sometimes give me?"

Kate held her features tight. "No."

"Well can you at least do a background check on him?"

"Castle, stop treating Alexis' boyfriend as one of my suspects."

Castle sat in silence, before he tried again. "Well, can't you just-"

"Look, how about you down and grab us some lunch? Maybe the fresh air would do you good and help stop you thinking of ways to permanently scar the poor kid."

* * *

Checking her emails, Kate allowed her eyes to drift down to the bottom right hand corner of the screen, taking note of the time. How long could it take for one man to buy lunch? He had been gone for half an hour, at least, and admittedly she was getting a little hungry. And maybe he was somewhat right; she could do with a little more effort in the kitchen department. She could cook after all, although the appeal of having readymade meals delivered to her doorstep was way too enticing and convenient for her to justify otherwise.

Finally hearing a knock, Kate stood, making her way to the door, a little too eager for her liking. "You took your time, Castle. I was starting to think that-" she stopped, staring at the man in front of her as her hand relaxed from the handle and the grin dropped from her face. "Dad?"

Standing in her hallway in his standard plaid shirt and cargo jacket combo, Jim Beckett offered a smile. "Hi, Katie."

"What, ah, what are you doing here?" she stammered.

"So I need an invite to come and visit my only child now?"

"No, sorry, of course not," Kate apologised with a smile, before providing him with a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Come in."

Jim remained silent, following her through her apartment, before they finally came to rest in her kitchen. "So, that's what you have to deal with these days?"

Turning to face him, Kate simply raised her eyebrows in question.

"All the cameras and people waiting outside your building," he enlightened. "It's hard to believe that they're all here for my daughter. I had to provide ID to even be allowed up here," he continued with a slightly amused chuckle.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"Well, I guess you haven't got too much longer until everyone will be gone," he commented, way too casually for it to go unnoticed.

Kate looked up at him as he watched her with a reminding, almost challenging eye. The way in which he said 'everyone', she knew what he was trying to do, what point he was getting at, and his waiting stare only cemented that fact. She had to give him credit though, he was being way more subtle than in their previous conversations, but nodding her head, Kate replied, unwilling to give anything else away. "Yes, no, you're right. Not long now," she said with an uneasy smile, before taking control and clearing her throat. "So, I thought we were going to try to organise a day for a visit?"

Jim slightly crooked his lips, before accepting her response and moving his hands to rest deep in the pockets of his jacket. "Yes, well, after you hung up this morning, I realised that you've got your hands pretty full these days, so I thought I would drop around and simply try my luck," he shrugged with a smile.

"Oh, that's...great," she uneasily smiled.

* * *

Carrying two bags, one with a few random savoury pastries, and the other with a bear claw and cinnamon bun, Castle made his way back to Kate's place. He didn't know what to get her for lunch and after travelling all over and surveying hot dog stands, sushi bars, Italian and even her local burger joint, he settled with the bakery. He didn't want to seem like he was trying _too_ hard.

Rounding the corner, Castle briefly faltered in his step as he saw the small crowd of press that were gathered outside her building. Although, as he approached, he simply flashed them with a smile and the standard 'no comment,' before making his way up the stairs.

Arriving at her door, he tapped his knuckles on the wood a few times and waited. As soon as the door swung open however, he spoke. "I was waiting at the bakery and had an epiphany."

"What?"

"I know, strange place for an epiphany, but I realised, you were right," he nodded.

Kate looked at him hesitantly. "Ah, listen, Castle, there's something-"

"Hold on, just let me get this out," he interrupted, moving past her and through to her apartment. "Alexis is older now, and I need to allow her to experience things in life, and she can't do that if I wrap her up in cotton wool." Standing in front of her stovetop, he spun around to face her. "Although, I still don't understand why I can't torment this kid a little. It's a father's job to rough up their daughter's boyfriend and -" Noticing Kate's face however, Castle stopped. "What? You're frowning at me. Here, eat your cinnamon bun," he said, holding out the small paper bag for her.

She simply stood there, something washing over her features that he couldn't quite decipher, before he heard someone clearing their throat behind him. Castle spun around.

"You must be Rick Castle, I presume," the older man began as he stood up from his chair, hand outstretched. "Jim Beckett, Katie's father."

Rick briefly turned back to Kate with a slight uneasy smile before accepting his hand. "Oh, well it's nice to meet you, Mr. Beckett."

"First names will be just fine, Rick," Jim nodded with a chuckle, before releasing his grip and turning to Kate. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise you two were supposed to see each other today."

"No, Dad, it's fine, really."

"Well, as long as you don't mind?" Jim replied, looking between the pair.

Castle watched as Kate turned to him, obviously trying to decide on which direction to take, before Rick let out a smile. "No, not at all."

Yeah, he was smiling, but if his feelings towards Albie were anything to go by, Rick knew what was coming. He was pretty much a dead man.

* * *

Standing around Kate's kitchen tabletop, Jim turned to Castle. "So, Rick, Katie tells me that you're a novelist?"

"Yes. I... write for a living," he nodded, nervous enough for Jim to probably be able to smell it. He liked to believe it was a skill all fathers, including himself, possessed. Well, that was until now.

"And you have a daughter?"

"Yeah, Alexis," he smiled.

"That's a bit of a touchy subject for him at the moment, Dad," Kate interrupted with a smile, as she moved to grab some coffee mugs from her shelf.

"How so?"

"First boyfriend," Castle replied with an unenthusiastic curve of his lips.

Jim smiled as he pulled out a stool and sat. "Oh, I remember that moment."

Hearing the older man, Castle's demeanour changed and his interests were suddenly peaked as he shifted focus from his daughter and his impending death, and turned to Kate with a grin. "Oh really?"

"She was sixteen and he was in a garage rock band, and I remember I kept on trying to come up with excuses for her to not leave the house," he sighed, as Castle took a quick glance at Kate with an amused smile. Maybe this won't be too bad after all.

"She came home after that first date telling Johanna and I that she was in love," Jim chuckled with a smile. "Well, that along with a tattoo."

Castle's smile dropped, as he turned to Kate as at the end of the table."A tat-tattoo?"

"Don't worry, she kept it from me for a while too," Jim reassured as he stared at his daughter, before turning back to Castle. "The motorbike however, well that one was a bit harder to hide."

He felt Kate shift at his right, and Castle opened his mouth, shaping his lips to form the words, but nothing came out. "Tattoos and motorcycles?" he finally squeaked, turning to her. "Okay, what haven't you been telling me?"

"Oh, Castle, the things you don't know about me could fill a book," she replied, raising her eyebrow and flashing him with a smile.

"Yeah, I can see that," he nodded. "Although back to that motorcycle, when did you exactly have one?"

"Still have it, Castle," she said, sternly gazing at her father before facing back to Castle. "A 1994 Harley Softail."

"That is so sexy..." he exhaled on a whisper, before both Becketts turned to him, Kate offering a look of surprised and Jim, well, not so much. Realising, Castle nervously looked between the pair. "I-ah, I just said that out loud, didn't I?"

A moment of silence passed, before Castle regained his composure. "So, you going to show me it?"

"In your dreams. Now before my Dad spills all of my secrets, how about we discuss something else?" she began, before facing her father. "Coffee?" she questioned.

Jim Beckett smiled. "Yes, please."

"No, no, don't try to change the subject," Castle was quick to persist. "I'm quite enjoying this conversation. Let's keep talking about you and motorcycles."

"Let's not," she rebutted, moving to turn the coffeepot on. "Besides, I don't know if you realise, but when I bought my motorbike, I was only a few years older than Alexis..."

Realisation dawning, Castle frowned. "Oh, I see your point. Although, now that you mention it, I think that little conversation only gives me more validation to freak out."

"Come on, Castle, not that again."

"No, he's right," Jim interrupted, watching his daughter, before fixing his attention onto Castle. "You can never be too sure with what our gender can do with our daughters these days," he assessed.

Smiling at Kate, Rick enthusiastically nodded his head in agreement, before he felt Jim's stare almost burning through his skin. Quickly doing a double take, Castle looked back at the older man. Why was he still staring-oh. Oh. Rick straightened the smile on his face and swallowed. So maybe he was a dead man after all.

He could see Kate attempting to hold her laugh in his peripheral vision, like she was actually enjoying his slow torture, before her cell phone rang from the adjacent room. "Ah, excuse me for a second," she apologised somewhat hesitantly, before moving to answer it. Leaving him and Jim Beckett. Together. Alone.

It was going to happen. Mr. Beckett was going to kill him.

A beat of silence passed, before Jim turned to Castle. "So. You're dating my daughter."

"Ah-yes. Yes I am," Castle replied, eyes wide. "Well, technically we're fake dating. I'm fake dating your daughter."

What was he doing? That didn't sound any better. Probably worse, in fact.

"Right," Jim slowly nodded, staring at him with a cautious eye. "But then you kissed her."

Oh, so he saw that. Fantastic. An image that every father wanted to see blown up in his daily paper. "Yes, I did," Castle responded, before adding with a reassuring smile, "but that, that was all me."

Jim's face ever so slightly formed into a frown and Castle quickly continued. "Not- not that I forced myself on her or anything. I just mean that_ I_ kissed _her_. She didn't kiss me. Although, I mean she did kiss me back," he nervously chuckled.

Great, now he was a fumbling idiot. Good one, Castle. Her father was probably sitting there, mentally shining his gun collection. "But I bet you probably don't want to hear about that..."

"No, not really, Rick."

"Ah, yes, Mr. Beckett." First names. He said to call him by his first name. "I mean, Jim." The older man simply offered a frown. "Sir?" Castle squeaked.

Jim chuckled. "Relax, Rick. Katie explained everything to me about the arrangement you two have going on."

"So, you're okay with it all then? I mean, me and her? _Us_? Not- not that there is an '_us_.' Well, not really anyway."

"You mean the fact that you're using my daughter for publicity?" Jim was quick to reply.

"Whoa, I can assure you, sir, that there is no using going on of any kind. I mean, I have the upmost respect for your daughter and I think she is the most-"

Jim held up his hand, silencing Rick, before he turned to watch his daughter in the other room with a slight frown. "Do you know that she talks about you? A lot?" he informed, before letting out a small chuckle and looking back at the author. "Sometimes I don't think she even realises it."

Letting out a breath, Castle shifted his gaze onto Kate, as she attempted to scribble something on a piece of paper with little success. Curving his lips, Castle pulled out a stool. "Don't you mean complains?"

Jim let out a small smile. "At the beginning I admit there was a bit of that going on, but now, not so much."

Castle turned his head and looked at Jim, his surprise in the man's statement portrayed across his features. "Really?"

"Really," Jim nodded, genuinely holding his gaze, before relaxing his frame and slightly hunching forwards. "When she answered the door for me today, she initially thought I was you," he informed, before lowering his head and slightly smiling to himself. "I haven't seen her smile like that for anyone in years," he added, drawing his eyebrows together in thought like he was reaffirming his assessment.

Jim looked back at Rick. "Now, I'm not saying I'm a fan of this whole charade you two have going on or being scared of opening up my own paper with the chance of seeing you pressed up against my daughter, but, something's changed in her these last few weeks. She seems happy, and I believe I have you to thank for that."

Castle could do nothing but remain still as he attempted to process all of the new information. "She said yes," he suddenly blurted.

"Sorry?" Jim queried.

Seriously, why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut sometimes? "Oh, ah, Sunday," he began shyly. "I asked her to come to a wedding with me, and she said yes."

"Well I'm glad to hear that," Jim smiled, before his focus shifted. "Katie said that she told you about Johanna," he began, receiving a shy nod from Castle. "You know, they are so similar sometimes I could swear they were the same person. Katie's exactly like her. Strong, determined," he began, before looking back up to Rick, "stubborn. Johanna and I worked in the same law firm for three years before she even let on that she felt anything for me. By that stage of course, I was head over heels in love, but I was the same, too stubborn and proud to put my heart on the line. Although after she died, I couldn't help but regret all that time I wasted with her. I don't think we ever realise how lucky we are to have something until it's gone, and unfortunately by then it can be too late."

Castle swallowed as he listened to the older man. "You care about my daughter, Rick; anyone can see that from a mile away. As for Katie, well she's never been one to do anything that she doesn't want to do, so despite what she may say, maybe she's not such an unwilling participant in this as you think," he sternly hinted, his eyes soft and smiling.

"What are you two talking about?" Kate interrupted, returning to the room.

"Oh, nothing," Castle quickly replied, dropping her father's gaze.

"We were just talking from one father to another," Jim nodded to Rick.

"Yes, I-" Castle began, before spotting Kate opening up one of his bakery bags and proceeded to eat its contents. He could recognise a bear claw from anywhere. "What are you doing? I already called dibs on the bear claw. That one's mine," he informed as she tore off another piece and slowly placed it in her mouth.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she began, mouth full of his sweet. "I thought you said not so long ago as you were searching through my cupboards, that '_what's yours is mine_?' Something about it being relationship basics? So, what's yours," she began, picking up his bear claw for him to see, "is now mine," she finished, taking another bite and flashing him with a smile.

"What? That wasn't me," he reassured in disbelief as he watched yet another chunk of his dessert disappear into her mouth.

"You sure?" she shrugged, lifting her eyebrow. "Cause it sure looked like you at the time..."

"No, that would have been my evil twin. But don't worry, I took care of him."

"Oh, is that so?" she replied, her eyes wide and teasing.

"Yeah," Castle nodded, smiling at her, and the attempted salvation of his bear claw all but forgotten.

They both remained still for a moment, challenging and grinning at each other from across the table, before Jim Beckett cleared his throat and stood. "Okay, I think I'm going to go make that coffee now. Who wants one?"

* * *

**So I wrote most of this on my lunch breaks at work, so fingers crossed it turned out okay. An all round massive thank you to everyone for the response I continue to receive for this story. Also, no hard feelings towards any Alberts who might be reading this :)**

**BareWriter**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

**Not exactly a 'regular update,' I know, but to be honest this one just didn't want to cooperate, so I had to spend an extremely long time tweaking it before I could even consider posting it. As much as I love the idea of giving you quicker chapters, I physically couldn't do it with something I wasn't happy with, but once again I apologize. Anyway, so it's currently 4.02 am in my part of the world and I'm miserably exhausted and running out of coffee, but the guilt was killing me and I don't think I could've possibly made you wait any longer, so hope you enjoy it :)**

* * *

Wearing nothing but a towel, her hair wet and sticking to her shoulders, Kate stood in front of her open closet. Maybe should have thought this one through. At least considered the consequences before she agreed to be his date. Cause now they were going to a wedding. Together.

And she had absolutely nothing to wear.

This wasn't a part of the plan. _Her_ plan.

She was seeing him when she wasn't meant to. _Again_. Which meant that she was already a bit off track with that one. Although going to a wedding with him, that was way off course. No, not just way off course. She was driving on the wrong side of the road. Backwards. And wearing a blindfold.

Yes, that was a great way to describe how immensely way off course she was at the moment.

Darn it. And it was a good plan too. She was happy, satisfied with it, and it meant that when this was all over, she would be able to say goodbye and get back to her normal life. Maintain control over _everything_ and simply walk away from him without any problems or...

...complications.

And what she was feeling when she was with him, even when she wasn't with him? Yes, they were definitely complications.

Abruptly closing her closet doors, Kate took a few paces in front of the large piece of furniture, before giving up and moving to sit at the end of her bed. She needed a manual for this. An instruction book on '_How not to get attached to your six week boyfriend_.' Or at least a brief guide on '_How to say no and prevent yourself from seeing said six week boyfriend when not required'_.

Really, she shouldn't let it affect her, let it get to her like this afternoon meant anything. Because it didn't. But there was that unmistakable burning in her chest, an unresolved, lingering nervousness that told her otherwise. That told her that maybe she _wanted_ today to mean something.

But she knew she shouldn't think like that.

She was simply helping him. Right? Filling up a spot. So there was no need for any complications.

Kate took another hesitant look at her closet. Although not having a dress, that was already a complication, and a massive one at that.

She sat there, taking a moment before she reached out to her bedside table and grabbed her phone. She held it in the palm of her hand, narrowing her eyes at it, before searching through her contacts and bringing it to her ear.

"Lanie," she greeted, letting out a calming breath. "I need your help."

* * *

He wasn't nervous. No, there was no need to be nervous. It was only a wedding.

"You're nervous," a voice came from behind him. Turning away from his full length mirror, Castle caught sight of Alexis leaning against his bedroom doorframe him with a knowing smile. How long has she-? She was scary like that, and he definitely needed to start getting her some squeakier shoes.

Castle felt his jaw tense as he spun back to focus on his reflection once again, lifting his hands to hold the ends of his tie. "Me? Nervous?" he replied, narrowing his eyes in disagreement and offering an uneasy quirk of his lips. "I'm not nervous," he reassured, flipping one end of the silky material over the other before letting out a frustrated sigh and attempting to start again. Seriously, why wouldn't this thing just cooperate?

Alexis shook her head and let out a soft chuckle, making her way towards him. "Dad, you've been trying to fix your tie for twenty minutes now," she began, stepping between him and the mirror. "It's okay. Just relax."

Castle exhaled and dropped his hands, allowing his daughter to salvage his tie tying efforts as she completed the correct folds and loops. "It only seems like yesterday when I was teaching you about pulling the bunny through the rabbit hole with your shoelaces, and now look at you."

Pulling the completed knot into the angle of his buttoned shirt collar, Alexis looked up at him, letting out a satisfied smile. She then stepped to the side, allowing Castle to see his more complete reflection.

"Thank you," he replied, briefly wrapping his arm around her shoulder and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Oh, isn't this all romantic, you and Kate going on a date," his mother abruptly interrupted as she strode into his bedroom. "Although, it's about time if you ask me."

"Mother, in case you haven't noticed, we've already been on plenty of dates," he replied, taking his suit jacket off the coat hanger. Holding it out, he maneuvered his arms through the sleeves, before fitting it up and over his shoulders.

"Richard, that is not what I meant and you know it," Martha sighed, standing next to Alexis as they both kept watchful eyes on him. "Now, remember, act like a gentleman."

"Yes, Mother," Castle replied, hardly paying attention as he considerately straightened out the angles of his suit.

"And romantic. All women love romance," Alexis reaffirmed with a nod, her enthusiasm evident in her tone.

"She's right," Martha was quick to agree, "but this is Kate Beckett remember, and she's an independent kind of girl, so-"

Castle let out a huff and brushed his hands down the front of his attire. "Okay, thank you both," he began, finally stepping away from the mirror, "but as much as I would love to stay and continue this conversation, I've got to go."

"Bye, Dad," Alexis smiled as he father placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

Walking over to his mother, Castle repeated his farewell gesture, then exited out his bedroom door.

"Have fun, Darling."

* * *

He was a mess. Honestly, he felt like he was a nervy teenager again picking up his date for the prom. All the confidence that he usually accompanied had deserted him, leaving him stranded with only his fluttering heart and slightly sweaty palms.

Standing in front of her door, he took a moment to comb the tips of his fingers through his hair, following the angles he had set earlier. He wasn't concerned about it or anything, he just..wanted it to be perfect.

He took a moment to himself, exhaled a deep breath (like it would actually have any soothing effect on his rapid pulse) and then he knocked.

He heard the faint sound of footsteps approaching and took a quick look down at his suit making sure everything was in place, before the door finally swung open and he was greeted by an unfamiliar face.

"Ah, you're not Kate," he noted with a slight frown as he took in the smaller woman standing in the entry of Kate's apartment.

"Lanie Parish. Best friend," she greeted with a poised tug of her lips, offering her hand to him.

"Rick Castle." Boyfriend? Ah, best not. "Writer," he smiled, accepting her handshake.

"Well, as nice as it is to finally meet you, my magic is done for the afternoon, so I'll leave you two to it. Kate shouldn't be too long, but she said you could just head inside," she informed, moving out of the doorway.

"Thanks," he smiled.

Lanie offered him a knowing nod, stepping past him and into the hall. "Oh, and ah," she added, briefly spinning back to face him. "Prepare yourself."

Castle parted his lips, confused. "For what?"

She simply flashed him with a look he wasn't able to quite describe, an aura of confidence about her, and he couldn't help feeling like she knew something he most definitely wasn't privy to. "You'll see."

He watched as she disappeared down the hallway, before he cautiously stepped inside Kate's apartment, shutting the door behind him. He ventured through, hearing a few quick thuds coming from her closed bedroom door along with a brief call of what sounded like an, "_I'm coming,"_ and possibly a, "_Just hold on a sec, Castle," _he couldn't quite tell.

He was a bit early anyway, so leaving her to it, he made his way to her lounge, noticing the scattered framed photos that decorated her space. They all seemed to document key stages of her life; a photo of her looking fresh out of the academy, one with her parents, although the one with her wearing neon ice skates? Yeah, he'd definitely have to ask her about that one. He smiled, chuckling to himself, before all the distant commotion seemed to end and a voice spoke from behind him. "Hey, Castle."

He spun around on instinct at hearing his name, but as soon as he did, the grin on his face faded, almost coming to a complete stop the moment he laid eyes on her. His jaw went slack, his throat suddenly began to feel dry as he simply stood there, staring as she made her way into the large room.

He finally understood what her friend meant. _Prepare yourself._ Although observing her right now, how could there possibly be any way for him to prepare himself for _this?_

Her face looked softer, eye shadow dusted over her lids and mascara covering her lashes, her lips a light red and looking so delectably moist. Framing her face were a few stray curls, apparent escapees from the loose bun that was shaped at the back of her neck. Castle sucked in a breath, mentally had to remind his lungs to expand and contract as he tried to speak, say anything, but he was unable to give voice to any of the words he could possibly use to describe her.

With great effort, he managed to peel his gaze away from her features and lowered his eyes. She was wearing a fitted grey dress with a curved neckline, and lingering further, he couldn't help but notice the way in which it molded and clung to every curve of her body, before coming to rest above her knees and highlighting the length and shape of her legs.

"What? Something wrong?" Kate stopped in her approach, coming to a standstill, seemingly oblivious to the sheer enormity of how astonishing she looked.

Castle shook his head. "No, I just- whoa," he sighed, as if accepting a sudden realization. He'd always found her attractive, but as she stood in front of him now, it was undeniable and practically smacking him in the face. She was amazing, stunning, absolutely and completely-

"You look beautiful."

As soon as he said it, her eyes shot up, an almost blank expression with a hint of fear etched across her features. She was probably expecting him to take it back, or at least attempt to mumble some sort of an excuse, but he simply couldn't, and it wasn't long before Kate's face broke into a shy smile. "Thank you," she replied, momentarily dropping her gaze from his, before hesitantly lifting her eyes once again. "You know, you don't scrub up too bad yourself, Mr. Castle," she added with the teasing look he knew too well as she slightly twisted her lips.

"Yes. Finally she acknowledges my handsomeness," he smiled with a slight fist pump, as Kate let out a soft, breathy laugh.

A moment passed before Castle looked at her, his eyes creased around the edges and feeling slightly more relaxed. "So, you ready to go?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Weaving their way through the colorful and sculptured garden on the outskirts of the church, Castle used every last fiber of his will power to keep his head straight. Maintain his focus on the path in front of him, and quit trying to sneak glances at Kate. It was difficult though. Some may even say near impossible. Especially when his brain could still hardly fathom that she looked _like that._

Seriously, there was no way he was going to survive the whole ceremony and reception if he kept this up, and he was probably starting to seem creepy now, which wasn't a good thing.

Yeah, best he stopped.

Finding some sort of resolve, Castle kept his control and attention in restraint as he instead admired the front facade of the ancient looking Church they were approaching.

Coming to a standstill next to him, Kate gazed over the religious structure. "This is breathtaking," she breathed, her eyes bright.

Castle turned to her and offered a slow nod of his head, a soft smile on his lips. "It is, isn't it?"

He was of course talking about the Church.

"How earth did they even find out about this place?"

"Well, from what I've heard, Julia, Greg's wife-to-be, she had her whole wedding planned out when she was six," he replied, slowly moving to make his way up the concrete steps, Kate following his lead. "The dress, flowers, location. Everything. She even had a scrapbook filled with photos."

"Oh yeah."

Stopping, Rick turned to her, eyebrows raised with interest. "Oh yeah?"

"What?"

Castle kept his gaze on her, offering a slight shrug. "Well, it's just the way you say 'oh yeah', it makes it seem like-" he stopped, taking in her features, and suddenly a large, amused smile spread across his face. "Oh my God- Kate Beckett has a wedding scrapbook."

"I do not," she scoffed at a slightly higher pitch than normal, scrunching up her face. "And why are you talking to me in third person? I'm right here."

"I'm a writer. It adds dramatic effect."

Kate rolled her eyes at him and turned, making her way up the remaining stairs.

Stepping up next to her as she entered the foyer, Castle remained silent, pursing his lips in attempt to hold his amusement.

"Okay, spit it out," she sighed, spinning back around to face him as they were surrounded by a crowd of people greeting and hugging each other.

"Well it's just nice to know that even you have dreamt of your wedding day," he smiled, receiving a light glare from her. "You should do it, you know. Get married. You'd be good at it."

A young boy no older than four dressed in a tuxedo ducked in between them, his shirt tails sticking out and his bowtie tied around his forehead, a distressed bridesmaid following close behind, before Kate displayed a considerate frown and let out a thoughtful sigh. "Marriage isn't something I just want to be good at, Castle," she responded honestly, almost under her breath.

He could have pushed her, asked her what she meant, but leaving the conversation at that, well for now anyway, they made their way through a large set of textured, wooden doors, and onto the carpeted aisle.

"What was it like for you?"

Castle turned to her as she exhibited a curious frown. "What?"

Kate hesitantly shrugged. "Getting married."

Castle loosened up a bit, digging his hands into his pants pockets, before responding. "It was petrifying. The first time, I was so young and I didn't really know what I was getting myself into," he informed, shaking his head with a slight breathy laugh. "It was the second scariest day of my life."

Kate twisted her lips in curiosity, her eyes soft. "What was the first?"

"Losing Alexis at the mall," he confidently responded, definitive in his answer. "I don't think anything could ever beat that."

"And getting married comes a close second?"

"Definitely," he nodded, before slightly frowning his face. "Actually, no. Make that a close third. Bringing you pastries and being surprised by your dad in return, that slots right in between a missing Alexis and marriage."

"What?" she scoffed. "Come on, he was completely harmless."

They took a few more steps forward, following the crowd as some dispersed into the filling pews. "You know that eye thing you do? Well it's genetic. So his stare, was literally yours times a thousand. It was scary," he said with wide eyes.

Kate shook her head with a smile, before replying. "Well since we're on the topic of somewhat scary dads, Albie, he's fine," she said casually.

Castle simply looked at her in confusion.

"Alexis' boyfriend…" she clarified. "I ran his name through the system yesterday and he's clean. No scandalous, illegal activity of any kind. Not even a parking ticket, so you can sleep a bit easier at night."

Castle paused in his stride, coming to a halt as he eyed her carefully, a smile quickly spreading across his face. "You did that for me?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "Well, and Albie of course. I mean, goodness knows what you had planned," she chuckled, taking a few strides forwards before turning into a pew in the middle of the church with a few vacant spots.

Castle however, stood there, frozen in place in complete awe, his eyes almost physically glued to her. A few moments passed, before Kate noticed his absence and looked at him over her shoulder, her lips slightly curved. "You coming?"

Jim Beckett's previous words floated through his mind, _'Maybe she's not such an unwilling participant in this as you think,'_ and Castle released a smile.

He made his way to the pew, shuffling in beside her and unable to wipe the smile on his face, just in time as the soft sound of a violin suddenly swept through the church and everyone turned around as the bridesmaids began to process.

* * *

It was a simple ceremony, nothing too overtly over the top, but according to Castle, it reflected Greg and Julia's personalities to a tee. It was just what you'd expect from two people who were publically declaring their love for each other. Their vows were personal and romantic, and nothing seemed forced or staged.

Castle seemed to enjoy it too, if the beaming smile he kept shooting her as they stood side by side in the pew was anything to go by.

And now, in the dusk and post ceremony, everyone had assembled to an embellished ballroom a mere fifteen minute drive from the church, eager to celebrate the recent nuptials. The room was filled with circular tables, all covered in white and each with a small lantern positioned in the middle, creating an intimate, romantic feel to the decorated space.

"On my last golfing weekend, I scored two holes-in-one. Did you know that the chances of that are one in sixty-seven million?"

Kate turned back to the man standing in front of her. He looked early thirties, his brown hair cut short and sculptured around his face. Damien was his name, a distant relative of Julia, and from what she had gathered, he was an accountant from Washington. And he enjoyed golf.

Trying to appear at least somewhat interested, Kate let out a forced laugh. "No, I must admit that I didn't know that," she reply haphazardly, her attention elsewhere as she looked around the small reception. They were standing amongst the decorated tables, mostly empty except for the few guests who were still completing their meals, or hiding from Greg's uncle Barry who had stolen the band's mic and was trying to get every to everyone together for an impromptu 'YMCA' rendition. And then there was also Julia's nana, who due to her complaining about how apparently her seat at table four was too close to the dance floor and not close enough to the bathroom, was now seated in a chair almost directly under the illuminated restroom sign.

"I guess congratulations are in order then," Kate added, briefly turning back to the man with a smile.

"Thanks. I wonder what the statistics would be in Massachusetts though. It has the world's longest golf course, so I don't think I would be as successful there," he laughed.

Kate didn't offer a response except for a polite nod of her head as she peered to her right, letting her eyes roam and finally caught sight of Castle. He was standing on the edge of the dance floor, two champagnes in hand and charming some older lady who was completely humored by something he said. Kate allowed her eyes to linger, watching him for far longer than appropriate, when he suddenly shifted on a chuckled and caught her gaze from across the room. And there was no denying that he looked good. He looked _really _good all clean shaven and polished in his suit and dress shirt, his tie adding sharpness to his appearance, and if she even dare say it, a certain rugged handsomeness-

Oh boy, she'd never hear the end of it if she told him that...

"Did you know that an American golf ball has three-hundred and thirty-six dimples on it?"

Kate looked back at Damien as he offered her a satisfied and confident grin, apparently happy that he had retained her attention once again. She displayed a curious frown, opening her mouth to come up with some kind of appropriate response- seriously, what do you say to that- before she suddenly felt a warming presence at her back.

"There you are, honey. I've been looking all over for you."

Twisting her head, Kate looked up as Castle simply looked at her, grinning. "Hi," she smiled at him, before her peripheral vision noticed Damien awkwardly shuffling on his feet. "Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, returning her posture to face the other man. "Damien, this is my- Rick." Oh, she did not just say that- "This is Rick," she quickly corrected.

"Rick Castle," the writer nodded, holding up the two glasses and his inability to offer a handshake.

"Damian Taylor," he returned, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes at their new company.

All three of them stood there, a moment of awkward silence passing, before Damien's eyes lit up. "So, you two are..." he began, pointing his finger between the two of them.

"Ah, yes actually. Yes we are," Rick nodded.

"Great." She could see the obvious regret Damien held in Castle's answer, before he puffed out his chest a little. "Well, it was nice to meet you Kate. And you too Rick, but I think I'm going to go check out those desserts they just served up," he finished.

"Oh, no worries. It was nice to meet you too," Kate said as Damien offered her one last smile, before he turned around and made his way through the crowd.

"Seriously, I leave you for two minutes and that's who you talk to?" Castle questioned, moving to stand in front of her.

"What's that meant to mean?"

"Nothing, it's just that he is completely not your type. Not to mention he had two first names, you know you should never trust a guy with two first names," he mumbled, looking at the direction in which Damien left.

Kate drew her eyes together in a frown, her interests peaked. "How would you know what type of guy I need?" she questioned, moving her hand to her hip. "He was nice."

"Ha, yeah, and completely boring," Castle scoffed. "I could train my hamster to be more interesting than him."

"Castle, you don't have a hamster."

"Yeah, well, if I did..."

"You know, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were jealous."

"What? I'm not jealous," he hurriedly answered. "I'm simply trying to make a point. I mean, come on, he might as well have been reading off a golfing scorecard."

"He wasn't _that _bad," she attempted to defend, only to be met by an '_are you kidding me'_ look from Castle, before he nodded his head to the left. Following his line of sight, she spotted Damien, positioned in a rigid stance, hands clasped together, before swinging his arms and shoulders and performing what Kate could only guess to be his drive to a less than impressed bridesmaid. Kate looked away from the train wreck waiting to happen and back to the writer. "Okay, so maybe his choice of conversation topics isn't the best out there," she admitted with a slight cringe, before they both shared a chuckle.

"Oh, hear you go," he said as he offered her a glass.

"Thank you." Kate took a sip, gazing over the ballroom. "You know, this whole day reminds me of my parents' wedding."

He looked at her curiously, his eyes soft, allowing her to continue. "When I was younger, I used to beg my mom to play their old wedding video. I remember sitting on the couch, being in complete awe of her in her dress, and just watching the way my dad looked at her... I just, I don't know, the simplicity and romanticism of today. It just seems a lot like there's."

Castle smiled, listening intently, before he looked away and nervously cleared his throat. "Hey, so ah, about your mom. I had a thought," he began, turning back to her. "After you told me about what happened, and talking to your dad a bit more about her the other day, I was thinking that I would like to do something. So yesterday, I called a few of my buddies and they're willing to help me organize a charity of some sorts, or an initiative to help reduce gang violence and also help support anyone who's been an innocent victim. It would all be under her name, and I know it's not much, but I thought it could be a fitting way to honor her memory, for both you and your dad. Well, with your permission of course."

He kept his eyes locked on hers, nervously awaiting her response, but Kate offered nothing. Literally could offer nothing as she tried to allow the gravity of what he said to sink in.

"Unless of course I'm overstepping," he quickly fumbled. "I'm sorry, I know you don't like-"

The features on her face suddenly softened as a smile broke across her lips and she shook her head. "That's really sweet and it would mean a lot," she replied, her voice heavy and laced in emotion.

Castle parted his lips and offered her a smile, his face lit up. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"I know, but I wanted to," he smiled. They remained like that, Kate feeling far too exposed and raw compared to what she was used to, before Castle suddenly developed a teasing glint in his eye and dramatically cleared his throat. "Although saving you from Golfer's Digest over there, well that's another story..." he mumbled as he took a sip of his champagne.

The smile dropped from Kate's face as she skeptically narrowed her eyes. "Saving me?"

"Mmm-hmm. Don't even try to deny it," he nodded.

Kate crosses her arms in front of her chest and scrunched up her face. "Come on, I admit he wasn't the most interesting of guys, but I totally could have gotten away myself," she defended.

"From the SOS looks you were sending me, I don't think so. You can refute it all you want, but the fact still remains the same. And now, you owe me," he smiled, pursing his lips a little.

"I do not owe you," she shot back, her lips quirking into a slight curve on their own accord as a soft, disbelieving chuckle moved passed her lips.

"Yes. You do," Castle reiterated, smiling with confidence as he took a step towards her.

"No, because I know exactly what you'd want," Kate replied, ignoring his closer proximity. "I already told you last week that there was no way I was taking you to the firing range, or letting you drive my police car, or allowing you to arrest a 'low-life scumbag' as you so eloquently put it, so-"

"Dance with me."

He took her empty champagne glass from her grasp, and handed it to a passing waiter, along with his own. Kate stopped mid sentence, looking at him in surprise. "What?"

His blue eyes remained pierced on hers, unwilling to back down. "Dance with me and consider us even," he repeated, lifting his hand and holding it out for her. "I won't stand on your feet. I promise," he added with a smile.

Kate stood there, taking a moment to hold his gaze as he waited for her, his eyes shining. She felt her heart rate pick up, a warm rush of blood flush through her veins, and letting out a breath, Kate drifted her gaze down to his expecting hand. Her whole body tingling with anticipation, almost buzzing, as she tried to maintain some sense of control.

Against everything that her head was telling her, Kate raised her hand, hovering it over his, dangerously dancing along a fine line of consent. She sunk her teeth into the soft flesh of her bottom lip before releasing it, as if it was somehow going to help her find an appropriate response, anything to help her in the fight of declining his waiting hand. Coming to a wedding with him wasn't part of the plan. Dancing with him, most definitely wasn't part of the plan, but slightly parting her lips, Kate delicately brushed her fingers across his palm, before allowing them to finally rest against the warmth of his skin.

Castle responded to her touch almost immediately, curling and slinking his fingers around hers, molding their hands together.

Kate quirked her lips, and lifting her head, she exhaled a shallow breath. "Okay."

* * *

**So, anyone keen for a Part 2 to this little outing? **

**BareWriter**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: All these characters belong to ABC and Mr. Marlowe**

**Anyone remember this? Yes, I know I pretty much disappeared off the face of the earth and yes, I do realize that even grass grows quicker than my updates, but I finally, finally can bring you a new chapter. To everyone who sent me a PM asking about an update, I was planning on replying to all of you when I had a better idea of a time frame on when this would be ready, but somehow all the messages mysteriously disappeared before I could send a response, so sorry to all for my non-replies. **

* * *

"So."

Whipping his head around at the sound of her voice, Castle was met with an arched eyebrow, a pair of slightly twisted lips.

"How did you learn to dance?" Kate continued.

With his left hand securely intertwined with hers, his other pressed lightly at her back against the soft fabric of her dress, Castle released a smile, his eyes now on hers. From the moment they had stepped onto the dance floor he had tried to keep it cool. Keep his composure and casually gaze around the room, maintain his focus on the couples around them. Actually maintain his focus on anything, really. Anything but _her_. Not that it helped exactly, not when the heat of her skin was shooting warmth through his body and settling deep inside his chest.

But when she looked at him like that? Yeah, it was almost impossible.

"Ah, so you have noticed my unmistakable talents," he replied, a slight grin shaping his lips.

Kate glanced up at him, her spare hand resting on his shoulder as she offered him a thoughtful frown. "I wouldn't go as far as to say talents."

"You sure, because I'm pretty certain you just complimented me."

"What?" she shot back, a smile slightly breaking from her lips despite the tension he could feel in her muscles. "I was simply starting a conversation."

Catching the playful glint in her eyes, Castle definitively shook his head. "Nope, that definitely had the trademarks of a compliment. And since you asked so nicely, allow me to set the scene," he began, pausing in true dramatic fashion before he cleared his throat. "So it was a cold night, a Wednesday in fact, and there I was, lying in my bed with the glow of the moon painting shadows along my walls, when suddenly a mystical being appeared before me, saying that he had a mission for me. A mission to defy no other. And that, was a mission to dance," he finished with added theatrical flair laced through his tone, simultaneously gazing off into the distance in mock reflection. "Really nice guy," he casually nodded.

Turning back to meet her eyes, he tried to keep his face neutral, not give anything away as she frowned, her reaction all too adorable. "Are you actually being serious right now?"

Unable to contain it any longer, he allowed the grin to spill from his lips as they continued to sway in time to the music. "Which part gave it away? Was it that a mystical being giving me a mission to dance or the fact that I thought someone who came into my house uninvited was actually nice?"

Kate simply rolled her eyes. "Castle, as highly probable and extremely realistic as that totally engrossing narrative was, what's the real answer?"

He quickly rotated them to the left, barely avoiding a younger, less coordinated couple, before he answered. "I grew up as an only child to a single mother. More specifically a single mother who performed on Broadway."

"Ah, I see," Kate nodded.

"Yes, the great Martha Rodgers was adamant that there was absolutely no way that she could bring up a son who didn't know how to handle a dance floor. Labeled it a '_disservice to her craft_,' so every so often she would come back from a show, push the furniture aside in our small apartment, play a bit of Dean Martin and provide me with her own private tutorials. I wasn't exactly the best student to begin with, but eventually I actually started to enjoy it. Not bad for a writer-monkey, hey?"

"Well the song hasn't finished yet. There's still plenty of time," she playfully retorted.

Castle smiled to himself, enjoying their teasing banter as he noticed her muscles slightly loosen under his palms, her shoulders begin to relax.

"You know if this isn't doing anything to convince you, I could always break out my Mr. Roboto," he offered.

Providing him with an amused look, Kate simply raised her eyebrow in silent question.

"Electric slide? Funky Charleston?" he continued.

Kate quirked her lips. "You know, as enticing as that sounds, I think this will do," she nodded.

"You sure? They're all very impressive. If you're lucky I might even remember a few of those old boy band moves."

Kate pulled away slightly and met his stare, a skeptical curve shaping her lips. "What are you, a member of 'N Sync now?"

"Ooh, which one do you think I would be?" Castle admonished, his eyes wide and their movements suddenly paused.

Taking her time, Kate briefly pondered her response before she teasingly twisted her lips. "You know the one with the brooding good looks, absolutely charming personality and completely irresistible?" she hummed, slowly rising onto her tiptoes and ever so slightly leaning into his space, bringing their faces level.

Castle could do nothing but stand there as- oh dear God- she lowered her eyelids and slowly flickered her gaze down to his lips.

He was going to die. He had absolutely no doubt about it, but- whoa what a way to die.

"Yeah?" he managed to swallow, almost forcing the words through his rapidly constricting throat, his legs suddenly feeling unbalanced.

Kate wrinkled her nose. "Well not him," she quipped, before falling back onto the balls of her feet.

Oh.

That was- that was cruel. Sexy, yes. But so unbelievably cruel.

"God, Castle, you're so easy!" she exclaimed, letting out a wide grin.

Castle narrowed his eyes. Right, so that's how they were going to play, was it?

"You know, just for that I'm extending you're owing duties," he confidently huffed in response, taking a small step closer to her.

"What?"

"Yeah. You heard me. We dance for an extra song. Tough life being mean isn't it?" he retorted with a raise of his eyebrows.

Kate let out a scoff as he ever so slightly drew her closer, her rebuttal completely nonexistent as he once again continued their movements across the dance floor.

"Don't pout. You'll kill the romantic mood."

"Castle, I'm not- wait. Romantic mood?"

Castle briefly paused, his eyes suddenly wide. And oh- there was that filter he was missing. "Greg and Julia," he was quick to respond. "I mean you'll kill the romantic mood for Greg and Julia," he fumbled as Kate eyed him suspiciously, before he swiftly turned his focus onto the newlyweds.

Kate seemed to let it go as he watched the couple, standing off to the side of the room, their focus only on each other as Julia let out a laugh, her hands interlaced with Greg's. "Look at them," Castle eventually sighed, Kate following his eye line to the pair. "Greg married the love of his life today and I've got to admit," he began, completely in awe of the sight, "I can't help but feel a little jealous."

Kate turned to him, her surprise evident. "You'd get married again? I thought you said it was petrifying."

"Oh, it is. Believe me. But it's also one of the most amazing, magical things you can do," he affirmed, his face soft and inviting, before noticing her features. "Oh, don't tell me you're going to go all '_Skeptics 'R' Us'_ on me again," he sarcastically questioned as the band gradually began to ease their tempo.

The mood in the room suddenly shifting, Castle casually steadied their movements and matched the slower rhythm of the other couples around them.

Distracted by their conversation, Kate moved to shake her head. "No, it's just-" she began, somewhat hesitantly. "When you think about marriage, relationships, don't you consider other factors? Things like security, compatibility, longevity or practicality. I mean, without any of those aspects, odds are it probably wouldn't work out."

"Seriously? That's really what you believe?" Castle responded, slightly leaning his head back to take in her features. "Relationships aren't math problems. You can't solve them by considering odds or being practical."

"Castle, fifty percent of marriages end in divorce, so you've got to be at least a bit realistic or how else is it expected to last?"

Castle took a moment as Kate remained silent, not at all convinced. "Okay, so maybe that's true," he continued, a sudden urge to alter her views. "But what about the flip side, the other fifty percent that actually make it and spend their whole lives together?"

Feeling brave, he ever so casually swayed his body closer to hers, seeking her warmth. "Love, it shouldn't be about picking the safe option and simply choosing someone you can live with. It should be about taking a risk and choosing someone you can't live without," he rationalized. "We all just have to believe and trust our hearts."

With that, Kate looked at him, a new softness in her eyes, almost a new sense of hope, a new sense of belief, before she let out a breathy sigh. "Castle, you can't possibly base forever on a quickening pulse or a magical fluttering in your chest," she casually replied.

"Of course you can. That's what love is, and if not, then how can you explain the one hundred and ten year old couples who have spent their whole lives together and still to this day are there for each other?" he confidently responded. "Although, now instead of chasing after kids and worrying about a mortgage, it's to help find missing false teeth and finish bottles of prune juice," he comically added, receiving a slight grin from Kate.

"I mean, just the idea that there are over seven billion people in the world and amongst all of that we can be lucky enough to find one, one special person in that sea of people that we're willing to commit to for the rest of our life? Forever? Always? _That, _that in itself is magic," he finished, fully determined to persuade her, help her believe as he suddenly noticed a slight grin spread across her features. "What?"

Kate pursed her lips and shook her head in disbelief at his enthusiasm. "Nothing, it's just even after divorces, ex wives, alimonies, when you talk about love you're so-" she shrugged, looking off to the other couples intertwined around them, attempting to finish her sentence.

"So what?"

"I don't know," she breathed, "so hopeful and vivacious about it all."

Hearing the way the words rolled off her tongue, Castle's eyes lit up. "Ooh, say that again."

As Kate looked at him curiously, Castle carefully allowed his palm to lower. Descending his fingers lightly along the strong outline of her spine, the material of her dress soft under his touch, he continued down the slope of her back, not failing to notice the way her muscles quivered and jumped under his touch, her breath slightly hitching.

"Hopeful?" she swallowed, seemingly determined to outwardly ignore his travelling hand, her voice however not as confident as it once was.

Castle shook his head, bringing his hand to rest at the base of her spine where he lightly added more pressure, nonchalantly encouraging her to bring her body closer. He was cautious, half expecting her to hold her ground and keep the distance between them or even simply leave the dance floor all together, but he had to hold back the smile that threatened when he felt her body subtly sway, linger closer towards his.

"No, the other one," he clarified, their conversation maintaining.

Kate lifted her head to him, eyebrow raised. "Vivacious?" she questioned with a coy smile, receiving a heavy, enthusiastic nod from Castle. "You liked that?"

"Yeah, very much so."

Castle beamed as Kate glanced up at him, shaking her head and emitting a soft smile, before she let out a faint exhale, her breath dancing across his throat and her hold on his shoulder tightening.

"Castle, just because you believe in something doesn't mean it's going to happen," she quietly spoke after a beat. "What if it's all just an unrealistic expectation?"

Castle took a moment, her honesty catching him off guard as he could practically feel the uncertainty she held, and the sudden recognition of just how much he wanted her to believe, wanted to be the one to help her believe, almost knocked him off his feet.

"Well, at least there's still a chance. You know, just because my marriages didn't work out doesn't mean I give up. After all, if you don't even believe in the possibility of it, of soul mates and fate and happily ever after, then I guess you won't ever find it," he sighed, trying to share even a little of his hope with her. "Magic could be right there in front of you and you could simply miss out without even realizing it."

He felt her slightly shift at his statement as she held his gaze, his words suspended between them.

He could do nothing but watch, a certain vulnerability yet clear resolve in her eyes, almost as if she was actually absorbing, being persuaded by his words. She wanted to believe. Was a true romantic at heart, but couldn't get through the pain that was holding her back.

He could feel his movements slow, his feet almost coming to a standstill as his multitasking skills completely abandoned him, unable to coordinate his steps and concentrate on the woman standing in his arms at the same time. He didn't know what he was doing. Had no words for it, but almost as soon as they had begun, he noticed the music fade, a voice echoing close by, mentioning something about a bouquets toss and everyone being required to leave the dance floor.

Kate let out a deep exhale. "Well Castle, I guess that's my debt paid in full," she spoke, her hand sliding from his shoulder and lightly brushing over his chest, lingering, before suddenly disappearing.

"Yeah, I guess it is."

Releasing her, he returned his arms to his side and took a casual step back, trying to suppress the ache in his body that already missed her touch.

* * *

She had left the dance floor, literally forced herself to leave the dance floor- and him- but it was too intense, too _real_, and her need to get back in control, stop herself from falling was completely overwhelming.

She had rambled something to him about bouquet tosses not really being her thing and encouraged him to go catch up with the group of old college friends that were calling his name from across the room. He did, eventually, his hesitation clear but he nodded, his understanding almost clear as he left, providing her with the opportunity to attempt to retain at least some composure, scrape her thoughts back together from the mess that was created the moment she placed her hand in his and stepped into his arms.

But now, alone with her thoughts, standing off to the side and looking on to the large room, Kate let out a sigh, tried to remember the moment in time when she thought that dancing with him was actually a good idea. Not that she didn't enjoy it. No, that part was never in doubt, but- it was more along the lines of when she had managed to convince herself that it was no big deal. That she would be able to remain in control and not feel anything.

Remain impartial to the way he smelt ridiculously good that close to her, how his palm practically burned her skin through the thin material of her dress as he spoke about love and soul mates, how his solid chest occasionally brushed up against hers causing something to develop deep inside her belly, or even the way her heart completely refused to comply as the whole of freakin Africa seemed to host their own drum party in her chest as he looked at her, entirely to soft and endearing to be considered legal-

Shit.

She needed to pull herself together and stop sounding like a hormonal teenager. Keep herself focused on the point of all of this. Paula, Montgomery, the press, and the fact that in a week she was going to have to walk away from it all.

Walk away from_ him_.

Taking a glass of champagne from a passing tray, she brought it to her lips and swallowed deeply, allowed the alcohol to run down the column of her throat, the liquid spreading a soothing and calming warmth through her body before she felt a presence at her side.

"So, I admit it's been a while since I last saw Alexis, but I'm guessing you're not her."

Lifting her head, Kate was met with the smiling face of Greg as he casually stood beside her, hands deep in his pockets.

"Oh no," Kate laughed, catching on to the humor in his smile. "I'm Kate, Rick Castle's-"

"Girlfriend," he completed.

Ah, and there was that word...

Kate took a moment, slightly drew her brows together before she let out an uneasy breath. "Yeah," she nodded, tucking a loose curl behind her ear as she attempted to plaster a smile on her face. "Congratulations by the way. The ceremony was really beautiful and you and Julia seem like you make a great couple," she quickly recovered, hoping he didn't notice her hesitation.

"Yes, thank you," he gleamed. "Although I guess I could say the same to you. I've seen a few papers here and there, well I think almost everyone has actually, and you and Rick seem to have quite a romance of your own," he added.

Kate swallowed. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Greg eyed her inquisitively, before he shifted his attention to the surrounding reception party, focusing on the small group Castle was engrossed with as they sat around a table, apparently reminiscing about something humorous.

"You know, when Rick called to tell me that Alexis couldn't make it, I honestly thought he wasn't going to come," he spoke after a moment. "We don't really get to catch up much anymore so it's good to see him."

Turning to him, Kate displayed a curious frown. "You guys aren't close?"

"We were," Greg reflected with an exhale, focusing back on her. "In college we were pretty much best friends, but once we graduated and weren't in classes with each other every day it was kind of difficult to make the time. Adding to that, he was on the verge of publishing his first novel and heading into that whole scene, whilst I was just trying to get a nine to five job with my diploma. We both led such different lives, literally lived in different worlds. You know how it can be," he shrugged. "Although it doesn't seem like a problem for you and Rick," he quickly added, turning to her with a warm smile.

Kate's eyes flicked to Castle as Greg's words sent a twinge through her veins.

_Led such different lives, lived in different worlds._

It was her and Castle. It _is_ her and Castle. She knew that, but what did it matter anyway? It wasn't like she was hoping for anything else, anything more with him.

She was just reminding herself a few minutes ago that this- whatever it was- had an end point, an expiration date...

"Anyway, it was nice meeting you Kate and thank you for coming, but I've got a new bride I better go find," he said with a thoughtful smile, regaining her attention and offering a handshake.

Kate released his hand and remained still as she watched him leave and make his way to his bride.

Oh boy. She needed air. She needed to clear her head. Reset everything back in some kind of order.

Spotting a passing waiter, Kate walked towards him and placed her hand on his forearm. "Excuse me. Do you have anywhere I could step outside?"

"Yeah, just straight through that door on your left."

"Thank you."

* * *

Gripping the handle and pushing on the heavy door, Castle stepped out into the crisp air of the small courtyard. He hadn't seen Kate in over an hour, but as he took a brief glance around he spotted her almost immediately, sitting on the first few steps of a staircase that scaled the side of the building, her eyes fixated on the dark sky above.

She looked beautiful, content, and with soft fairy lights spiraled around the metal railing beside her, there was a certain ambience to the scene.

Noticing a broom leaning against the old brick to his right, he collected it, twisting the dry wood in his hand as he made his way toward her. "Did you hear that a new type of broom came out?" he spoke, catching her attention as her eyes narrowed at him curiously. "Yeah, apparently it's sweeping the nation."

He watched as her face broke into a soft smile, shaking her head at his terrible pun. "Is that what you came all the way over here to tell me?"

"That _and_ to bare you with a gift like no other."

Kate twisted her lips, her eyes questioning as he brought his other hand around to his front, holding a plate and two spoons for her to see. "Wedding cake."

Eying the dessert he held in front of him, Kate scooted over, silently inviting him to join her.

Holding his smile, Castle balanced the broom against the solid brick before positioning himself beside her on the cool metal, their thighs slightly brushing.

"It's nice out here," he nodded, assessing the area as he rested the plate on the edge of his knee and offered her a spoon. "A little chilly."

Kate smiled, wrapping her fingers around the cutlery. "Toughen up, Castle," she smiled. "One of the waiters led me out here. How'd you find me?"

"I think we both spoke to the same waiter," he replied.

Sitting side by side, he turned his head to consider her. She seemed quiet, somewhat hesitant about something. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine," she reassured with a conclusive smile, collecting some cake he held between them. "My feet were just a bit sore and I thought some fresh air would do me good," she added after a short pause, almost as if she knew he wasn't completely persuaded.

Leaving it alone, Castle frowned. "Don't you wear shoes like that to work every day?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, but I'm not exactly used to dancing in them."

"But chasing after criminals, you're fine?"

"Hmm, must be some of that magic you're so passionate about," she ribbed with a quirk of her eyebrows, grinning as she lifted the filled spoon to her mouth.

Castle smiled as her playfulness returned, whatever was occupying her mind seeming to temporarily disappear.

"You know, mock me all you want, but I've decided that there must be at least some formidable force you believe in," he said, collecting his own piece of dessert. "Come on, what about ghosts?"

"No."

"Big foot?"

"No."

"Five-thousand year old fairies?"

"Nope."

"Justin Bieber's hair?

"Ooh, you've definitely got me there," she teased, scraping some of the buttermilk frosting off the edge of the plate and shaping her smiling lips around the metal of the spoon.

Okay, she's really got to stop doing that.

Forcefully peeling his gaze from her mouth, Castle focused his attention on the dessert. "You know it's going to be very hard to meet your Yang if you keep this attitude up," he nonchalantly noted, gathering more cake before turning to her and noticing her slight frown.

"Your yang. Your opposing force. Your prune juice sharing soul mate," he began, suddenly remembering the half eaten dessert in his mouth. He swallowed. "Come on, don't tell me you've never heard of yin-yang? It's Chinese philosophy one-oh-one. Completely fool proof," he comically described. "You see, you're a yin so in order to-"

"Since when was this about me?" Kate cut him off, her skepticism evident.

"Well I'm just saying," he casually shrugged.

Kate continued to eye him doubtfully. "So your great words of wisdom, are to go and find a yang?"

"Yes. Although when you say it like that I guess it doesn't sound quite as romantic," he reflected quietly, angling his head to the side. "Maybe if we refer to him as Mr. Yang instead- eh, no, still not any better…"

"Right, any other advice you want to share while you're going, Obi-Wan?"

"Nope, I'm done for the night. If you want any more wisdom I'm going to have to start charging."

Castle noted the slight curve of her lips as a beat passed before she spoke again. "So, fool proof, huh?" she repeated, going for more dessert.

"Yep. Guaranteed by the thousand year-old Chinese philosophers themselves."

"Right."

"What?"

Kate looked at him, her lips twisted. He could practically see her mind ticking over, her indecision clear and it was only a moment before she seemed to come to some kind of resolve and continued. "Well how do you know? And what does_ 'opposing force' _even mean anyway?"

Castle's eyebrows raised and his eyes slightly widened, his curiosity peaked.

"Okay, hypothetically for the sake of the argument, how would I know if I've met him?" she hesitantly persisted. "He could be anyone. The guy I buy coffee from, the bus driver, how do I know it's not my neighbor who listens to Lady Gaga at three in the morning? I mean, how would I even know to strike up conversation with the guy?" she argued.

Castle looked at her for a minute. Okay, so maybe she had a point. Although amongst all of this he could sense a challenge and never one to back down and resist, he slightly shifted and nodded his head in agreement. "Alright, I can see where you're going with this. Okay, well firstly, your yang, he's not a cop. No way. They are banned. Completely in the red zone."

Kate offered him an unbelieving frown, apparently not agreeing with him for a second. "What?"

"Please, with all of their square-jawedness and seriousness? This is about discovering your other half, not the male version of you. It's basically incest," he nodded. "No, he needs to be something less restricted, less confined," he continued with a thoughtful sigh, their shared dessert all but forgotten. "Something like a mime artist, or a Russian acrobat, or I would even allow a nudist if that's what you'd prefer," he shrugged, trying to contain his grin.

"Whoa, Castle. You're making this sound more appealing by the second."

"Oh, since we're getting all the no's out of the way, let me just include the general rules that he can't have any weird fetishes, live in a basement of any kind or have any more than two cats."

Kate narrowed her eyes. "Why two?"

"One says he is lonely. Two says his cat is lonely. But three, all that tells me is that the guy's got issues," he confidently replied.

Humored, Kate shook her head before turning back to him expectantly. "Okay, what else?" she questioned, a hint of exposure evident in her eyes.

"Alright," Castle sighed, sensing the subtle shift in the air. "Well he needs to be intelligent. I'm not talking genius level or anything, just enough to keep up with your brains and wit, keep you on your toes and challenge you every now and then."

Kate slowly nodded beside him. "Okay, that doesn't sound too bad."

Castle shifted. "He should be someone who's there for you. Know when to give you your space when you need it, but also willing to put in the extra effort and push when you put your defenses up," he said attentively, noticing the way she averted her vision to the courtyard.

"But most importantly," he continued, trying to keep his tone light, "he should remind you that it's okay to laugh, have fun. Remind you every now and then that life doesn't have to be so focused and serious all the time, and it's okay to just let go and enjoy yourself."

"Honestly, that's all that should matter," he added after a moment.

"Well, with all these qualities, did you have anyone specific in mind exactly?" she eventully replied, her forehead shaped into a slight frown.

Castle focused, the sudden urge to blurt out the 'well I'm a possibility' line almost crushing, but instead he attempted to maintain at least a little bit of casualness to the deepening conversation and settled with the less consequential, "well, I know a few guys."

The question of whether this was something more, all of this was something more however, refused to disappear.

He cleared his throat. "Not too many Russian acrobats floating around in my area, but I'm sure I could find someone equally as eligible to fit the criteria."

Kate pursed her lips, holding her smile and slightly tilted her head to the side. "Really?"

"Yeah. I could flick through my address book, my contact list, hand out some application forms. Find a yang worthy candidate or two," he added after a moment.

Kate sat there with a slight cringe on her face, before she mirrored Castle's chuckle. It was only then when he decided to turn his head and chance a look at her features. He almost regretted it immediately however, and really, he should have known it was a terrible idea, because as soon as she reflected his movement and her smiling, hazel eyes met his, he was a goner.

He swallowed heavily and- whoa.

Their gazes lingered and his heart clenched. He was completely mesmerized by her, the way the golden glow of the soft lights ascending beside her, her loose curls hanging by her smiling face, so close. He needed to look away while he was ahead and still held the capability to control his actions, or else he was going to do something stupid.

Like kiss her.

Although stupid seemed like a pretty damn good option. But he couldn't-

As soon as he noticed her breath suddenly shallow however, her eyes darken, he could do nothing but surrender as the sudden need to feel her mouth, hot and pressed up against his again, the need for _her_, completely overwhelmed him. This was different though, as unlike their first kiss there was no escape route, no doubting or denial as to whether it was real or not, and with that in mind, Castle swallowed, his heart pounding out of his chest.

He cautiously raised his hand, bringing it up to the astray curl that shielded her face, provided a barrier between them, before delicately tucking it behind her ear. He waited for the fierce grip around his hand to come, the sound of breaking bones, but receiving nothing but a soft exhale, Castle slowly began to lean his head towards hers, his fingers lightly dancing at the angle of her jaw.

He parted his lips, Kate reflecting his movements as she joined him in closing the distance, their breaths mingling, when the sudden ringing of her phone hacked through the silence, causing Castle to halt his advance.

"Rick."

It was barely a whisper, a soft sound emmitted from her lips that were so close, easily could have been mistaken for a plea to continue, but deep down he knew and Castle slightly dropped his head in frustration. Cursing all inventors of phones and interrupting devices alike, he pulled away and leaned back to his side of the step, his eyes meeting hers as he forced smile, masking his disappointment. "You should get that."

Kate however remained still, almost in a daze, and she couldn't have- she couldn't have actually wanted him to continue?

Could she?

Almost as soon as the thoughts crossed his mind however, Kate was nodding in agreement and searching through her clutch. "It's probably the precinct. I told the boys to call if they needed anything," she mumbled, a slight quiver in her voice before she finally grasped the loud culprit and placed it to her ear.

Castle watched as she listened to the other end, tucking that damn loose curl back behind her ear. "No, no, its fine. I'll, ah, I'll be right there," she said, before ending the call and tentatively turning to him. "You don't mind do you?"

He should have told her how he felt. Insisted that she let Ryan and Esposito handle whatever it was and she stayed with him, even if it was for just a little bit longer. Although dropping his eyes slightly, he shook his head. "No. They need you. You should go."

"You sure?"

Castle released a deep breath. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

And with that, Kate stood, making her way across the courtyard before she opened the door and gave him once last glance over her shoulder and walked back into the reception.

* * *

**So, I take half a millennium to update and then turn up the angst and tension, but before you all get ready to throw things at me, let me try to put your mind at ease with a few guarantees. 1. This **_**will**_** be completed, no chance of an abandonment here. 2. Next chapter is well on its way. **

**A sincere thank you to everyone for your unbelievable levels of patience, I know it can't be easy, and thanks for sticking with me! **

**BareWriter **


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